Media Advisories

 

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens' 2025 State of City Address

Remarks as prepared / Link to program

ATLANTA—Mayor Andre Dickens delivered his annual State of the City Address on February 25, 2025, at the Woodruff Art Center. You can watch his entire address online here.

Mayor Dickens' full remarks as prepared are below.

 

 

Hello Atlanta!

 

What a crowd tonight! It’s so exciting to see Atlanta represented here in so many ways. We’ve always done these events in the morning, but this is Atlanta. And what better way to represent Atlanta than having a night out!

 

So first, I’d like to acknowledge a few of the folks who made tonight possible.

 

James Quincey and Coca-Cola, Michael Russell and the members of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, and Hala Moddlemog and the Woodruff Arts Center. Please stand. Thank you all for hosting us on this wonderful evening.

 

Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman and the world’s best City Council, please stand.

 

The members of the Georgia General Assembly, please stand.

 

My colleagues serving on the Atlanta Regional Commission, please stand.

 

Atlanta Public School Board Members, Fulton and DeKalb County Commissioners, Municipal and County Judges, Mayors and City Councilmembers, and all other elected officials, would you please stand.

 

The members of the International Consular Corps, please stand.

 

City of Atlanta senior leadership team and my Cabinet, please stand.

 

Mayor Bill Campbell, Ms. Valerie Jackson, and Ms. Sandra Massell, please stand.

 

And to my friends and family, my mother, sister, and my daughter, thank you for always standing with me. Please stand.

 

To everybody here tonight: non-profits, advisory boards, business owners, neighborhood and community leaders, thank you and welcome to the 2025 State of the City Address!

 

I want to take a moment to recognize the life and legacy of Georgia’s only president, Jimmy Carter. For four decades I’ve seen the impact of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s lives on our city, our state, and the entire world. To the Carter family, thank you for sharing Jimmy and Rosalynn with us for so long. Let’s give one more round of applause for the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter.

 

President Carter once said “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something.”

 

We all get to choose that something, and I’ve known mine for a long time now. Since I was 16 years old I knew I wanted to be the mayor of Atlanta because I love this city and I love its people. And my pastor often reminds me that love oughtta look like something. Tonight you’re going to see how our love has moved Atlanta forward.  But before that I have a question for you Atlanta: do you know how much you’re loved?

 

Because I’m not sure you know just how awesome you actually are! Seriously, Atlanta is the place to be, and people have been pouring out their love for the greatest city in the world!

 

Money Magazine named us the best place to live.

 

Black Enterprise Magazine named Atlanta the best city to start a business.

 

We’ve been named the best place to start a career, the most educated city in the US, and the best city for Black homebuyers.

 

And if you had any doubt, Atlanta still influences everything. Three of the seven biggest movies last year were filmed right here in Atlanta. Atlanta’s own Killer Mike swept the Grammys last year!

 

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is still the world’s busiest and most efficient airport. And if you missed it this morning, we announced the new General Manager who will lead our airport into the future!

 

The world flies through Atlanta. Culture runs through Atlanta. And Fitch is betting on Atlanta by giving us a triple-A bond rating; the highest possible and our highest ever rating.

 

[PAUSE]

 

Atlanta is the best bet for the future, and everybody knows it.

 

All of this makes me proud to be an Atlantan, proud to be your Mayor, and I am proud to stand here tonight and reaffirm that the state of our City is Strong!

  

I’m so proud of this City. We’ve put our blood, sweat, and tears into this group project. From our small businesses to the Fortune 500 companies, from APS to our youth organizations, from the Atlanta City Council to non-profits. Each of you has worked to improve the lives of Atlantans and Move Atlanta Forward.

 

But don’t think that the work is over. This project’s due date is circled for the year 2030, so be ready to get a few more assignments from me for the next four years.

 

Before we hand out the new assignments, let’s see just how far we’ve come.

 

Three years ago, I was standing on a stage at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium taking the oath of office. Many of you were there that day; suffering with me in that bitter cold!

 

I knew we had work to do. The task in front of me and the administration was not small. And I knew I couldn’t do it alone.

 

We were still battling the pandemic and City Hall was mostly closed. People couldn’t pay their water bills or get their permits.

 

Our infrastructure projects were backed up. Streets were not getting paved. Potholes were not getting filled. Trash services were inconsistent. Scandals had eroded faith in government.

 

Violent crime had risen. Public safety departments were understaffed, underpaid, and without a proper place for training.

 

And, to make matters worse, some folks wanted to split off Buckhead and start their own city.

 

The city was fractured and in need of some course correction.

 

Between that day at Georgia Tech and now I’ve made a lot of promises to the people of Atlanta. Each of them focused directly on Moving Atlanta Forward, together.

 

I promised to open city hall, to supercharge our city services, and to restore your trust in our government. And we have kept that promise.

 

Within the first 100 days, City Hall was reopened to the public. We launched Operation Clean Sweep to get our trash and recycling collection back on track. We re-instated Mayor Shirley Franklin’s pothole posse, and we have filled over 30,000 potholes!

 

Through this work and more, we fulfilled another promise: that Atlanta has always been and will continue to be One City with One Bright Future!

 

While our city continues to improve operational efficiency, we must also ensure that our government continues to operate ethically. Just last week, we introduced the employee’s bill of rights with more announcements coming that will reinforce our commitment to ethical government.

 

From Day 1 this administration has been committed to a government with the highest ethical standards and free of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption. That commitment is absolute.

  

Now how many of you remember Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse? Eleven years ago, the City of Atlanta made national news for its failure to handle a winter weather event. When I took office, I was determined to never put you in that position again.

 

Each year our teams prep for winter weather months in advance of the season. This January, APD, AFRD, ATLDOT, Public Works, Watershed, Forestry, and more were on the front lines. When I say love oughta look like something, this is what I mean. Love looks like these folks working around the clock to salt our roads, clear our streets, keep the water flowing, open our warming centers, and keep us safe. And after they did it the first time, they had to suit up and do it again the very next week. We have a few of those folks here with us today. Will all of you please stand. Because of their work, Atlanta can forget about snowmageddon.

 

When crime was on the rise in 2021, I promised you safer streets. Another promise kept. Since 2022, homicides in Atlanta are down by 26%!

 

We’ve made significant investments into all first responders to once again attract the best in the nation. And yes, we have ensured that the next generation of first responders will have a state-of-the-art training facility at our Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

 

We promised to address the root causes of crime, because not every problem needs to be solved by an officer with a badge and a gun. Love for our city looks like historic investments in non-policing alternatives and pre-arrest diversion services. It looks like APD’s CARE team and HOPE team and the opening of the Center for Diversion and Services. And love looks like providing after school opportunities at Midnight Basketball and our At-Promise Centers which have resulted in reduced crime in the surrounding neighborhoods.

 

And we can’t forget about the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. We’ve set aside millions of dollars to replace and upgrade our fire trucks and equipment, and we’ve renovated and built new fire stations across the entire city.

 

But I bet most folks don’t realize that our firefighters spend most of their time on EMS calls. When someone is having a health emergency, oftentimes the first people to show up are firefighters trained in emergency medical services.

 

And how about our 911 operators; in just the past year E911 has cut their response time in half!

 

Please give another round of applause to show our appreciation to Chief Schierbuam, Chief Smith, APD, AFRD, E911, and the entire city’s efforts to keeping Atlanta One Safe City!

 

 Voters overwhelmingly approved historic funding for our infrastructure needs, and we are now investing those dollars directly into the future of our City. Much of that starts with the Atlanta Department of Transportation.

 

I take special pride in ATLDOT because during my time on the Atlanta City Council I created this new department to address inefficiencies in our transportation services. And they are putting in the work.

 

Just in the last year, they’ve upgraded or installed over 150 ADA ramps, nearly 30,000 feet of sidewalks, and resurfaced roads including Campbellton Road, University Avenue, Mt. Paran, Marietta Street, DeKalb Avenue, and more. I promised you 10,000 new street lights to make our streets safer for everyone. ATLDOT didn’t just keep that promise, in partnership with Georgia Power, we tripled it by installing over 30,000 streetlights.

 

And all of that work has led to a 50% reduction in vehicular and pedestrian fatalities! We are literally saving lives!

 

Last year, Atlanta was hit with the perfect storm of water main breaks. Much of our water infrastructure is nearly 100 years old. This is a system we inherited, but now it’s our responsibility to start fixing it. The Department of Watershed Management is already on the job including the use of AI technology to detect and address potential issues proactively. And thanks to our federal delegation, the City is receiving significant support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make our water system more resilient.

 

We’ve made and kept a lot of promises over the years. I won’t get to them all tonight, but I’m going to quickly hit a few others.

 

We promised to create the Atlanta Department of Labor and Employee Services. This new department serves as our advocate for workers across the city and as a liaison to our labor unions. Our administration has negotiated on behalf of workers at the airport, at MARTA, and others. We have a few of our labor leaders and representatives from the Atlanta Department of Labor here today. Please give them a round of applause for their efforts to protect and uplift our workforce.

 

We promised to support our small businesses, the lifeblood of our economy, and we’ve delivered millions of dollars in grants and support from Invest Atlanta and the Beltline.

 

We promised to bring Atlanta to the water. Well, bring your paddle because we’ve opened our first park on the Chattahoochee River.

 

We promised to build an arts center. Well, bring your paintbrushes and canvases because we’ve opened the Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett Center for Culture and Creativity in West End.

 

We promised to build an e-sports lab. Well, bring your controllers and headsets because we’ve opened our first two e-sports labs in the City.

 

We promised our seniors a rec center of their own, and we’ve broken ground on the John A White Golf and Senior Activity Center.

 

We promised a sustainable City. We’ve more than doubled our solar buildings, have one of the largest green fleets in the nation, and are working to make our buildings more sustainable and more resilient.

 

We promised to expand our parks and greenspace. We’ve acquired nearly 600 acres of greenspace. That’s more than the previous 12 years combined.

 

Also, we finalized a partnership with Atlanta Public Schools to bring their playgrounds and park spaces into our network. This immediately increases park accessibility across Atlanta. Thank you to the Atlanta Public Schools and the Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation for this meaningful partnership.

 

And you all know that I care deeply about our youth. During my first State of the City, I made the biggest promise of my administration. It is my north star. I promised to make Atlanta the best place in the country to raise a child.

 

For this city, love looks like $2.6 million donated to our youth serving organizations and over $22 million funded for early childhood education!

 

Love looks like 14,000 young people hired through our Summer Youth Employment Program and this administration handing out over $10 million in college scholarships!

  

And while you’re clapping, make sure you hire some of those youth this summer and donate to those scholarships' funds.

 

Because you know we’ve made every year the Year of the Youth, and with all of our help, APS just celebrated the highest graduation rate in its history!

  

But what else do we mean when we say we want to be the best place to raise a child? How do we measure success?

 

I start by thinking about what every parent wants and what I wanted for my own daughter. It means an affordable place to call home with healthy food on the table every night. It means safe streets – free from the oppression of gangs, guns, and violent crime. It means a neighborhood with parks, shops, activities, arts, and community spaces. It means a city that provides opportunities to all people. All that starts with housing.

 

I promised to build or retain 20,000 units of affordable housing, and we are well on track to exceed that goal. We are building or have families already moved into over 11,000 units!

  

Our Housing Help Center has helped seniors and legacy residents stay in their homes, and we are deeply committed to helping our homeless population.

 

Through our housing first strategy we have provided more homes to homeless individuals than at any time in our history. Love looks like opening rapid housing developments like the Melody, Bonaventure, and the Ralph David House. Later this year, we will open a new modular 100-unit development called the Waterworks.

 

Remember earlier I shouted out the World’s greatest City Council. Well, together, we’ve committed over $60 million to get folks off the street and into places they can call home.

  

And all these homes need affordable, healthy food on their kitchen tables. Food access is a major priority for the City. We’ve fought to keep open stores that were in jeopardy, and we’ve allocated over $1 million to revitalize the Sweet Auburn Market.

 

Last year, we offered several big grocery stores incentives to move into some of our neighborhoods. They said no. So we promised to build our own. I’m so excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Savi Provisions to open not one, but two new grocery stores this year!

 

Now, I hope you noticed some of the art and décor around the lobby tonight. I especially hope you saw the display with the logo for these new grocery stores: Azalea’s Market. This new grocery store concept, along with the art and other displays, were designed by students at SCAD. Some of those students are here tonight. Would you all please stand.

 

Atlanta is truly a hub for creativity.

  

The work for affordable housing, food security, and more will continue to happen at the most local level: the neighborhood. Because I firmly believe that the neighborhood is the most significant unit of change in our city. Atlanta succeeds when we have safe, healthy, thriving, connected neighborhoods. I’m here to make this vision true for all Atlanta. For every district, every NPU, and every neighborhood. That’s our mission.

 

We are transforming neighborhoods; starting with Downtown. We’ve been building momentum with Centennial Yards at the Gulch, the opening of the Atlanta Tech Village in South Downtown, and the first phase of the newly imagined Civic Center. Add in the Stitch, 2 Peachtree, and the West End Mall redevelopment and we are bringing Downtown back!

 

We promised to revitalize Thomasville Heights after assisting the families at Forest Cove. We’ve completed a master plan to bring housing, food access, and parks into the neighborhood. And this year, we’ll begin construction on the first new housing development in over a generation!

 

We are making progress in the Donald Lee Hollowell corridor -- from Georgia Tech’s new Science Square all the way to the groundbreaking of the 2000-unit development of the former Bowen Homes site. We’re redeveloping the former Gun Club Park along Proctor Creek. And we are on track to complete the final segment of the Proctor Creek Greenway by the World Cup. That means in less than 18 months you’ll be able to take trails from the Beltline all the way to the Chattahoochee River!

  

And of course, we can look forward to the FIFA World Cup coming next year. We’ll be hosting eight matches and thousands of visitors for an entire month bringing nearly one billion dollars of economic impact to the City.

 

But I want to ensure that when the World Cup hits Atlanta next year, that it doesn’t just happen to Atlanta, but with Atlanta. That’s why we launched Showcase Atlanta in partnership with Arthur Blank, Carol Tome, and our Showcase ambassadors. Showcase Atlanta will live beyond the World Cup to ensure that when a major event comes to Atlanta, that Atlantans truly benefit.

  

Because that should be the story of Atlanta. Our successes should translate into uplifting more Atlantans who need our help. That’s the group project: a conviction that what impacts one us, impacts all of us.

 

So my challenge for you tonight is this: Run, don’t walk, to tell your friends and family about what you’ve heard here tonight. Don’t leave it up to the social media algorithms to tell our story.

 

Go tell them about the city that loves its people. And that love looks like our Watershed employees leaving their homes in the middle of the night, stepping into the cold, to repair a water main break so a city can wake up with running water.

 

Love looks like firefighters battling raging winds and torrential rain, using boats to pull families from rising floodwaters during Hurricane Helene.

 

Love looks like Officer Lamar Jacobs, eating lunch at Peachtree Center, hearing gunfire, and running toward the danger, shielding strangers. When most of us would run away from the danger, he runs toward it. Officer Jacobs, would you please stand and allow us to thank you for your commitment to keeping our people safe.

  

I love this city and I love it’s people. And while I may be the drawing circles mayor, sometimes love look likes fighting for what you believe in.

 

When they tried to tear our city in two, we fought back and kept our city whole.

 

When they tried to stop cop city, we fought back and built the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

 

And when they try to tell us that diversity and inclusion are something to run away from, we will fight back and show them that our diversity is what makes us strongest.

 

Because look around this room and tell me what you see? People from all different walks of life. People from different countries, different cities, different neighborhoods. People with different beliefs and religions. People with different abilities or disabilities. People of different genders and sexual orientations. Just people. People worth fighting for.

 

And I’ve got more fight in me. I love this city, and I’ll never stop fighting for it. Not today, not tomorrow, and not when I leave City Hall in 2030.

 

I hope one thing has been made clear here tonight. I’m a man of my word. When I make promises, the group project sets in motion, and we get the job done.

 

So hear me clearly when I say this: I promise that in Atlanta, our love will look like something.

 

And love looks like fighting every day for progress and breaking down barriers to opportunity.

 

Love looks like taking care of our youth and our seniors.

 

Love looks like affordable homes and good schools.

 

Love looks like clearing our streets of gangs and guns.

 

Love looks like feeding the hungry and housing the homeless.

 

Love looks like a diverse group project, fighting for ALL people.

 

And join me in this fight, Atlanta, because we are a shining beacon of hope in this nation. A City where all feel welcome and all feel love.

 

Come on Atlanta! Let me hear you! Join us in this group project!

 

God bless you all, and God bless the City of Atlanta.

 

Thank you.

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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta.