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Andre Dickens
Andre Dickens is running for Atlanta Mayor.
Personal background
Andre is from Atlanta, and he attended Atlanta Public Schools. He has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master's degree in public administration in Economic Development from Georgia State University. He has a daughter, and he loves Atlanta sports.
Professional background
Andre is the Chief Development Officer for nonprofit TechBridge. In 2018, he co-founded the Technology Career Program, to provide technology training to unemployed individuals for free. He previously worked as Assistant Director of Outreach Initiatives for Georgia tech's Office of Institute Diversity and as a sales engineer for DSM Engineering Plastics. He co-founded City Living Home Furnishings, a furniture sales business, in 2002. Andre was on the boards of the Atlanta BeltLine, Invest Atlanta, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Political background
Andre Dickens is currently an Atlanta city council member. He was elected in 2013, and he represents Post 3 At-Large, meaning that he represents the entire city of Atlanta. He is chairman of the Transportation Committee, which is in charge of city streets, bridges, sidewalks, paths, and the airport. In 2017, he was chair of the Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee.
ON THE ISSUES
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Public Services
Wants to address Buckhead's attempts to leave Atlanta through policing. He said, "What we are hearing from Buckhead is that Buckhead wants to feel safe, and they want to feel heard."
Plans to improve Atlanta transit. As a city council member, his legislation created the city-wide Atlanta Department of Transportation (ADOT) to oversee all transportation-related activities, planning, and management.
Wants to expand programs he co-founded and worked on at Georgia Tech to provide low-income families with training in technology to decrease income inequality.
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COVID
Plans to follow CDC guidance, including mask mandates, social distancing, quarantine requirements and contact tracing, and promises to reinstate hazard pay for frontline essential workers while encouraging remote work.
Wants to focus on inequality in the city's economic recovery. He said, "the southeast and southwest sides of our city need to have job centers, grocery stores, amenities. This is how we overcome this generational wealth gap that we have."
As a city council member, he voted for $7 million to help those affected by COVID, including children's food programs, senior food programs, homelessness preparedness, small businesses, emergency technology purchases for telework, and the financial industry.
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City Budget
Wants to focus the city's resources on areas that need the most support, prioritizing places that have been underserved.
As a city council member, he voted for the current Atlanta city budget.
As a city council member, he against a BeltLine budget that would reduce tax revenue for Atlanta Public Schools.
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Housing & Urban Development
Promises to build and restore 20,000 units of affordable housing.
Wants to expand the $100 million Housing Opportunity Bond, partner with MARTA on its use of the $100 million affordable housing TOD fund and enforce laws against predatory tactics designed to get residents to sell their homes under market value.
Said, "working folks can't live in Atlanta any more. Since 2010, the cost of housing has increased by 50%, and incomes for working folks have only increased by 10% ... too many working-class people are cost burdened in our city because we have neglected them for over a decade."
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Public Safety
Plans to hire 250 police officers in his first year, and 400 more police officers in his second year. He also wants to increase security cameras and license plate readers in the city.
Wants to arrest gang leaders, create a strike force to focus on gun trafficking and illegal guns, and increase community policing efforts.
Proposes hiring first responders from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to increase cultural sensitivity.
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Zoning
Said he supports additional housing options and density, but not through "carte blanche" approaches.
Supports inclusionary zoning to provide more affordable housing, which requires developers to make a certain percentage of their units in in-demand areas affordable to low-income renters.
Supports allowing small apartment buildings or second units in single-family residential districts.
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Corruption
Said, "there's a cloud of corruption hanging over city hall...we can't have a mayor trying to fight crime in the city of Atlanta when they're facing federal investigation."
As a city council member, he created government purchase card regulations to make sure government officials are accountable for how they spend money and established the Independent Procurement Review Office to require requires of all contracts of more than $1 million.
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