City Council President Felicia Moore on Monday provided the most detailed look yet at what she wants to accomplish in her first 100 days if elected mayor, including a proposal to create a new unit of unarmed first responders for the city.
Moore, who is facing Councilman Andre Dickens in the Nov. 30 runoff for mayor, outlined her priorities for her first few months in a 20-minute speech in northwest Atlanta.
“I’m here to get real, real specific,” Moore said, adding that she’s a “details girl.”
If elected, Moore said, she would launch a request for proposals for a 24/7, 365-day “unarmed first responder unit” to help people experiencing behavioral and mental health issues. She said a similar model in Eugene, Ore. could provide a blueprint for the new unit, which would be dispatched through the 911 system.
On her first day in office, she said, she would initiate a nationwide search for a new police chief and appoint a member of the department command staff to serve as interim chief. Moore has previously said she does not plan on keeping police Chief Rodney Bryant, who came out of retirement in 2020 to lead the department.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
She also plans to hire a new public safety human resources director and call on officers who have recently left the department to come back on a contract basis. Moore also hopes to begin identifying a piece of city-owned property to renovate into a no-barrier homeless shelter.
Moore said much of her work would begin on Dec. 1 if she is victorious in the Nov. 30 runoff. She said she would meet with outgoing Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to initiate an audit of every city department and agency. She would also reach out to leaders of the Buckhead cityhood push on Dec. 1 and seek to partner with officials who oppose the secession movement.
“Getting the details right will provide the foundation we need to move Atlanta forward,” she said. “To meet the multiple challenges that are before us, we need a mayor with extensive and broad experience in the internal and external operations of city government.”
Dickens, for his part, has previously said he would do an audit of every customer-facing city department if elected mayor, and has proposed plans to promote improved recruitment and retention at the police department.
At a event at the state Capitol Monday, Dickens said his first days in office would be focused on building relationships with the state, Atlanta Public Schools and police department leadership. He pointed to his public safety plan and proposal to hire a chief education officer for the city. Dickens has also pitched the creation of a new city Department of Labor
“When I become mayor I will be navigating that first legislative session where a lot of things are going to be discussed …one of the most important of these will be the city of Buckhead effort that some are proposing,” said Dickens, a two-term councilman. “I am ready to hit the ground running on day one, and I can guide us through these difficult times, right here in Atlanta, and I’m a team player.”
Dickens and Moore will meet for a one-on-one debate Tuesday evening as part of the Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series, in partnership with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The debate starts at 7 p.m. and airs live on GPB, GPB.org, AJC.com and the Atlanta Press Club Facebook page.
Staff reporter Wilborn P. Nobles III contributed to this report.
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