Newly elected Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens entered a fresh phase of his courtship with state legislators Monday as he and his allies hope to fend off a Republican-backed initiative to split the city in two.
Dickens was welcomed to the Georgia House with a standing ovation as he walked down the center aisle of the chamber. He embraced state Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, the state’s longest-serving lawmaker, and House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge.
“I want to have the best relationship with this body that you could ever have,” Dickens said to applause, adding: “We share a common goal: to keep this state and its cities moving forward. This city plays a critical role in driving our state’s economy, and we take that role very seriously.”
The new mayor has visited the state Capitol four times since he took office earlier this month, part of an effort to block legislation that would allow Buckhead residents to secede from Atlanta and create their own city.
The effort, borne out — supporters say — of frustration with rising violent crime rates, has faced bipartisan opposition and was effectively sidelined, at least temporarily, by Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan earlier this month when he assigned a cityhood proposal to a Democratic-controlled committee.
On Monday, the pro-Atlanta group Committee for a United Atlanta released a survey from a GOP pollster that showed support for cityhood waning.
Still, some Republican politicians have lined up behind the plan, despite universal opposition from Democrats who represent the city. Many Buckhead residents are infuriated by what they see as inaction from City Hall, and GOP politicians from outside the metro area have tapped into that frustration.
Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Sea Island backed the idea shortly after announcing his primary challenge to Gov. Brian Kemp, and state Senate GOP Leader Butch Miller of Gainesville told a group of suburban Republican activists it was too early to “dance on the grave” of the cityhood effort.
“As Paul Harvey would say,” he said, “get ready for the rest of the story.”
‘400 steps’
Capitol watchers have long viewed Ralston as the most important factor in the legislative debate, and he’s stayed publicly neutral. But his decision to allow Dickens to make a formal address in the chamber — and his glowing words about the mayor — were seen by pro-Atlanta advocates as an encouraging sign.
Ahead of Dickens’ speech, Ralston marveled that he got a call from the new mayor hours after he was elected.
“You should be heading to vacation or something,” Ralston said he told Dickens. “He said, ‘It’s because I want you to know how much I want to work with the House of Representatives to move this state forward.’ ”
Dickens echoed those comments in his brief remarks in the state House and in quiet conversations after his speech, when he was besieged by state legislators from both parties who wanted to take a picture with him.
“There are only about 400 steps between the state Capitol and City Hall. I walked it again today,” Dickens said. “You know I don’t mind coming across the street to engage with each of you.”
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