Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens as next chair of ARC: ‘I will bring my whole self’

Several milestones were reached on Nov. 8 when the board of the Atlanta Regional Commission unanimously elected Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to be its next chair beginning Jan. 1.

It will be the first time an Atlanta mayor has served in that role. In fact, it will be the first time any mayor in the region has been chair of ARC.

Dickens also will be the first Black chair of ARC since 1990, when then-Atlanta City Councilman Ira Jackson finished his term.

The significance of the moment was not lost on Dickens. Shortly after the vote, Dickens sat down for a brief interview, admitting that when he first decided to run for board chair, he didn’t realize it would be making history.

“But it’s about time,” Dickens said of his two-year term. “It’s important to have the central part of the region be in a leadership position.”

Unlike several of his predecessors, Dickens said it’s important for him to be engaged in the region and to work with other regional leaders to find common ground on issues that each of them faces — be it housing affordability, workforce development, climate change or transportation — especially public transit.

“In this role as chair, I will bring my whole self to this position,” Dickens said. “My entire self believes in transit and transportation, including rail.”

Since taking office, Dickens has attended most ARC board meetings. His predecessor never attended even one, so she was never sworn in as a board member. Dickens also has participated in the two LINK trips — 2022 to Austin and 2023 to Montreal — since becoming mayor. That’s “proof” of his commitment to be a regional leader in addition to serving as Atlanta’s mayor.

Instead of the two roles being at odds with one another, Dickens said they will be complementary.

“I’m focused on Atlanta, and making my opinions known,” said Dickens, who also said he would be careful to not be a micromanager as board chair. “I plan to provide the staff with guidance and governance and to let them do their job.”

Several people with close ties to ARC reinforced the historical significance of the moment.

Matt Westmoreland, the Atlanta City Council’s representative on ARC’s board, remembered during the Nov. 8 meeting being part of Model ARC as a high school student in 2003.

“You could tell back then that there was tension between the city and the larger metropolitan community,” Westmoreland said. 

Then-Mayor Shirley Franklin did work hard to forge strong regional relationships through ARC, one of the few Atlanta mayors to make such an investment in the region. ARC’s chair at the time, Clayton County Commission Chair Crandle Bray, was amazed when Franklin called him up and asked if she could come to visit him at his office.

Franklin also developed a close working relationship with Cobb County Commission Chair Sam Olens, who became ARC’s board chair in 2005. Dickens’ regional approach could simply be a case of following in Franklin’s footsteps because she has been his political mentor for decades.

Westmoreland said leadership in the region has changed dramatically in the past five to seven years, with many of the suburban county chairs now being led by Black women and men rather than primarily white men.

“All of that flowing through my mind when I watched the mayor of Atlanta be elected unanimously in an uncontested vote,” said Westmoreland, who was particularly impressed that noted Michael Caldwell, the white mayor of the suburban city of Woodstock, who nominated Dickens at the October ARC board meeting. 

“I think Andre’s election is a testament to the changing population dynamics and the changing racial dynamics of the region,” Westmoreland said. “That transformation leaves me really hopeful the city and the region and maybe the state will be able to work together in a way they never have before.”

Doug Hooker, ARC’s executive director from 2011 to 2022, said having Dickens as ARC’s board chair was “absolutely historic” given that it was the first time an Atlanta mayor had run for the role.

“It represents a huge potential opportunity for our region,” Hooker said. “Mayor Dickens’ leadership style is inclusive. Atlanta, the city, is still seen very much as the flagship for the Southeast nationally and internationally. If he can engage with his peers, it can be a very powerful moment.”

Hooker also deflected concerns Dickens already had so much on his plate as mayor that he wouldn’t have enough time to focus on ARC.

“If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it because busy people tend to prioritize,” said Hooker, who praised Kerry Armstrong, a citizen member from Gwinnett who has served as board chair for the past decade.  “Kerry brought a selfless mindset to meetings. He brought a respectful perspective. We as a region are better because of his service and his leadership.”

Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts, who championed Dickens’ efforts to run for ARC’s board chair, explained it was the right time to have diverse leadership.

“Since Ira Jackson, it’s been all white men. That’s not representative of the Atlanta region,” said Pitts, who added power at ARC historically has come from suburban counties, especially Gwinnett. “We have a young, dynamic mayor of the city that is the epicenter of the region. ARC will be more inclusive and forward-thinking under the mayor’s leadership.”

Pitts also said it’s time to refresh ARC’s bylaws, particularly as they pertain to citizen members. “We need to look at term limits for citizen members,” Pitts said. “I also have a serious problem with a former chair coming back as a citizen member. I think there should be a position for chair emeritus.”

Emerson Bryan, who worked for ARC for 43 years in various leadership roles starting in 1973, two years after ARC was formed, probably has the greatest historical perspective of anyone alive. It’s not surprising that county chairs led ARC for most of its history.

“You have got to think about Georgia’s history and the power of the counties because of the county unit system (where each county had one vote irrespective of its population),” Bryan said. “Cities were secondary. ARC reflected that power at the time was among county chairpersons.”

Bryan noted the Atlanta region represents about 70 to 80 percent of the state’s economy – led by the signature capital city.

“Atlanta is a major economic engine of the Southeast. Our population is growing and expanding. But we are way behind in transportation,” said Bryan, who said rail transportation is needed to connect cities across the state and communities throughout the region. “Given how we’ve grown, something is going to have to change, or we are going to choke on our own success.”

Ironically, at the same ARC board meeting where Dickens was voted in as chair, planner David Haynes presented the current draft of the 2024 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which has to be updated every four years. Compared to the 2020 plan, the current draft states that there has been a “shift to arterial rapid transit and bus rapid transit in lieu of rail.”

With the exception of BeltLine rail, there are zero plans to build heavy rail, light rail or streetcar lines in the Atlanta region.

Given Dickens’ vocal support of rail, perhaps those plans can be revisited. At the meeting, both Cobb Commission Chair Lisa Cupid and Gwinnett Commission Chair Nicole Hendrickson spoke about the need for transit.

No matter what, Hooker said it’s important to address our issues with a regional perspective.

Many of the issues we deal with at the local and neighborhood level actually are a reflection of our regional challenges,” Hooker said. “Having leaders willing to be engaged in a forum like the Atlanta Regional Commission, they can develop common approaches to solving regional issues. We should want leaders who are engaged in collaborative discussions.”

For Bryan, it’s hard to overstate the significance of Dickens becoming ARC’s board chair.

“It’s historic we have Mayor Dickens as chair, not because of his race but because of his youthful spirit,” Bryan said. “He wants to work with other leaders throughout the region. It’s a new day for ARC.”