Mayor Andre Dickens sworn in for 2nd term as Atlanta mayor
ATLANTA - Atlanta officially turns the page Monday as Andre Dickens took the oath of office for his second term, buoyed by a decisive reelection victory and a message that the city’s "group project" is successfully transforming the community.
What we know:
Dickens, Atlanta’s 61st mayor, was sworn in before hundreds of onlookers at the Georgia State University Convocation Center. His daughter, Bailey, held the Bible as a judge administered the oath, with his mother and sister looking on.
The ceremony, which marked the formal start of a term won with 85% of the vote, was attended by four of his predecessors: Andrew Young, Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin, and Kasim Reed.
Andre Dickens being sworn in for 2nd term Monday
Andre Dickens is being sworn in for his second term as the mayor of the City of Atlanta on Monday afternoon.
What they're saying:
During his address, Dickens highlighted significant shifts in public safety and education.
"Atlanta has experienced one of the largest drops in violent crime in the nation. For the last time in years, we finished 2025 with fewer than 100 homicides," Dickens said. He noted that youth-related crime decreased by 56% through initiatives like Midnight Basketball, while Atlanta Public Schools achieved the highest graduation rate in the city’s history.
"Give it up for APS y’all," he told the applauding crowd.
The mayor also pointed to progress in housing and social services as pillars of his first term.
"We opened 500 rapid re-housing units to address homelessness and started or completed more than 13,000 units of affordable housing," Dickens declared.
What's next:
Despite the celebratory tone of the event, which included the swearing-in of the entire City Council and new Council President Marci Collier Overstreet, Dickens signaled that his administration's work is far from finished.
"Across every measure, the Phoenix of Atlanta continues to rise. But I am not satisfied," Dickens revealed. "How can we be satisfied when too many of our neighbors still sleep on our streets? How can we be satisfied when poverty and iniquity continues to divide our city? Those answers are yet to be written."
The mayor thanked the city's 9,009 employees and half a million residents, calling the City Council the "best in the world." He concluded by challenging the crowd to continue investing in people and neighborhoods to ensure Atlanta remains the best place to live and start a business.
"The group project that he started talking about four years ago is working," Dickens said.