Tackling income inequality and building another 10,000 affordable housing units are two of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ goals for a second term in office.
The 51-year-old Dickens outlined his vision for a second term on Tuesday after formally qualifying to put his name on the ballot in November. He told dozens of supporters gathered on the steps outside City Hall that Atlanta has housed hundreds of homeless people, built more than 11,000 affordable housing units, and hired more than 14,000 young people over the course of the past three-plus years, but the city still has a long way to go toward closing the gap between its haves and have-nots.
“We’ve got big plans to keep moving Atlanta forward,” Dickens told those in attendance on Tuesday. “We’re going to make Atlanta the best place to raise a family through affordable housing, food access, public safety, youth programs, and more.”
Tuesday marks the start of the four-day qualifying period for municipal office candidates to be on the ballot in November, according to the office of Atlanta Municipal Clerk Corrine Lindo. Anyone running for mayor or a spot on Atlanta City Council has until Friday to file required paperwork and pay all necessary fees.
Mayoral candidates must be at least 18 years of age and pay $6,081.90 to run. They also are required to live in the city for at least a year prior to filing to run for office.
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Lindo’s office on Tuesday declined to confirm who has officially qualified for the city’s mayoral race. A staffer said the final list of mayoral candidates won’t be available until Friday.
Blandtown resident Marcus D. Lamar, 2021 mayoral candidate Walter Reeves, and community advocate Eddie Meredith have declared their intentions to run against Dickens in November, along with consultant Helmut Domagalski. Rumored candidates include Larmetria Trammell and Kalema Jackson, according to the Center for Civic Innovation.
Meredith said on Tuesday that he, too, has qualified to be on the ballot. The 39-year-old former pastor and community leader, originally from Oakland, California, has lived in Atlanta since 1993.
He told Capital B Atlanta in July that he’s running for mayor because, in his view, Dickens hasn’t done enough to help the city’s working class.
“There’s nobody that’s out there that is advocating for the people,” Meredith said. “A lot of residents are extremely vulnerable.”
Beunca Gainor disagrees with Meredith’s view on Dickens. The 36-year-old Bankhead resident was one of the more than 50 Dickens supporters who attended his Tuesday morning press conference. She said the mayor’s affordable housing strikeforce has helped make a difference in the lives of Black Atlanta residents like her. She, her fiancé, and their five children recently moved into an affordable two-bedroom apartment in the city.
“You can’t beat $850 in the city in 2025,” Gainor told Capital B Atlanta on Tuesday. “If I needed to take a week of sick leave from my job, I won’t be homeless, because I can actually afford my rent.”
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