Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spent his first term in office with the White House on speed dial.
As a rising star in the Democratic Party, Dickens frequently traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with President Joe Biden and was even featured in White House videos explaining the local impact of federal funds.
Under the Biden administration, Atlanta saw massive federal investments — from $25 million to ramp up Beltline construction and $40 million for airport concourse projects to $156 million for clean energy initiatives and $45 million toward economic development.
But as Republicans celebrated the reelection of President Donald Trump in November, Democratic officials like Dickens were hit with the stark reality that the next four years will not be so cozy and the pipeline of federal funding will likely not flow so freely.
During a question-and-answer session with the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the mayor said his strategy is to avoid unnecessary conflict.
“Our goals don’t change when the state or the feds change,” Dickens said. “The short answer is: I’m going to make friends, I’m going to communicate broadly about the things that we need (and) stay out of useless fights.”
Democrats, who dominate metro Atlanta’s core county commissions, also worry about their residents. Local leaders are preparing for policies that may come out of the White House in the next four years, from crack downs on immigration to further changes to reproductive rights.
“I think everybody is holding their breath at this point,” said Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, who will take office in January as the DeKalb County’s new chief executive.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
No ‘useless fights’
Other Atlanta mayors have a history of feuding with Republican leadership, both under the Gold Dome and in the Oval Office.
But Dickens said he plans on reaching across the aisle as Trump takes office — the same approach he took with the state’s Republican officials when he was voted into the mayor’s office in 2021 and immediately faced the potential of a vote for Buckhead to become its own city. The first-term mayor said he’s already reached out to the Trump team as the new administration prepares to transition in.
“We have already made our case known for things like water,” he said. “We said: ‘Hey, this is an infrastructure issue — it’s not a Republican or Democrat issue.’”
Dickens’ predecessor, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, constantly made headlines with her fiery comments against Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp during the pandemic and amid nationwide protests after the killing of George Floyd.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bottoms pointed to the pandemic as a tipping point for her relationship with the Trump administration. She said as mayor she struggled with a “lack of predictability” coming from the Trump White House.
“My mother said it best: ‘Buckle up like you’re getting on a roller coaster ride — there may be some ups and there may be some downs,’” Bottoms said.
But Bottoms — who went on to hold a senior adviser position under Biden — said she is “cautiously optimistic” that Trump’s second term will be different for local elected officials.
“I think we can all agree there’s nothing to be gained from fighting with cities and fighting with mayors,” she said. “It’s just not productive for the country as a whole.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Local lawmakers brace for impact
During the Biden administration, Atlanta was flush with federal cash — from grants toward the youth summer employment program to aid from the Army Corps of Engineers to help with the city’s deteriorating water infrastructure.
But the influx of federal dollars isn’t the only concern. Metro Atlanta Democrats are preparing for a heated legislative session.
During the last City Council meeting ahead of the December break, Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) called on council members to uphold progressive values next year.
Democrats gearing up for the upcoming legislative session are crafting a new strategy after Trump’s win, and preparing for impending fights over GOP agenda items like additional transgender restrictions, she said.
“I ask you to be as progressive as you can possibly be in your policymaking, because it has statewide impact,” Cannon said to council members.
Atlanta’s elected leaders are well aware of what’s at stake across the street.
During a briefing on the council’s legislative “wish list” that city lobbyists will fight for during the legislative session, longtime Atlanta council member Howard Shook offered a warning to officials from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
“I will predict that by the end of this session, neither you nor the city will be graded on how you perform in the red zone with the things we’re looking at today, it’ll be how well you play defense,” he said, referring to how well the city’s lobbyists can fend off proposals that would have a negative impact on the city.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Some local leaders said they are less worried about losing federal money for infrastructure and more concerned about the future of social programs.
In Gwinnett County, a quarter of residents are foreign born, while DeKalb is said to contain the most diverse square mile in America in the immigrant-heavy city of Clarkston. If Trump’s promised mass deportations move forward, parts of the suburbs could lose significant chunks of population.
But, Cochran-Johnson added that it’s possible the incoming Republican president won’t make good on his campaign promises.
“It remains to be seen whether or not some of his expressed goals will be enacted and what effect it will have on our community,” she said.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners is also discussing collaboration with other counties and health departments across metro Atlanta to support abortion access in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s demise at the hands of Supreme Court justices that Trump appointed.
Staff writer Alia Pharr contributed to this article.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
About the Author
