When Mayor Andre Dickens delivered his fifth State of the City address this week, he spoke to an audience that extends far beyond Atlanta’s borders. That audience, our state legislature, holds the key to Georgia’s next decade of growth — a key that can only be turned through stronger, more formal city-state collaboration.
Atlanta is a rare American city where the centers of both legislative gravity and economic drive sit on the same block. Across most of the U.S., the political brain and economic heart live in different parts of the body (think New York City vs. Albany, or Los Angeles vs. Sacramento, Chicago vs. Springfield.)
Those arrangements were often intentional. Legislators didn’t want the “big city” to have too much power, so they parked the statehouse in a smaller, more central town. Atlanta’s placement as the economic engine and state capital gives Georgia a superpower that other states lack, and that allows for a far better understanding and appreciation from both local and state leadership.
That dual status is truly a structural advantage, one that most states can only observe with envy. It creates a unique alignment where lawmakers meeting in the state capitol experience the same infrastructure and economic realities as our workforce and employers. We’ve seen the power of this alignment in action, enabling Georgia to pull off major economic victories, attracting the likes of Rivian, Hyundai and tech giants like Microsoft and Google.
Yet, our state’s success has outgrown the current playbook. Our progress, while commendable, has often relied on the goodwill of individuals, informal relationships and back-channel efforts to bridge the gap between city, county and state government. This is a functional system, but it is not a durable one. For Georgia to remain a top state for business, we must erect a system as reliable as the infrastructure we’ve plowed billions of dollars into.
Meanwhile, our peer cities are eager to catch up. Nashville’s Partnership 2020 model has knit together 10 surrounding counties and the state into a single, disciplined economic machine, backed by hundreds of corporate and civic investors. When Amazon or Oracle kicks the tires in Middle Tennessee, they are met by one unified front, not a dozen competing jurisdictions.
The fate of Georgia’s prosperity ultimately depends on whether leaders collectively agree to sustain the state’s momentum or retreat from the industries that have quietly driven it. Recent efforts underneath the Gold Dome to repeal data center incentives or restrict housing investment risk a pivot toward protectionism that could stifle the dynamism so many have worked hard to cultivate.
Thankfully, we have all the ingredients for sustained, world-class growth: a booming tech sector, Fortune 500 leadership, a pipeline of talented graduates, the world’s busiest airport and an unmatched culture of creativity and inclusivity. The next step is simply to institutionalize the spirit of collaboration that has driven our success so far.
Mayor Dickens has already shown what this looks like in practice. By stepping up to chair the Atlanta Regional Commission and taking a lead role in regional solutions for homelessness, he has signaled that Atlanta is ready to lead not just for itself, but for the entire metropolitan area and the state.
We don’t need to establish another group or compact. Instead, Atlanta and Georgia need to commit to a philosophical reorientation towards a durable and non-partisan vision for shared economic and infrastructure growth. That way, when major prospects consider Georgia, they will be met by a single, coordinated presentation.
This is not a criticism of past efforts. Instead, it is an opportunity for leadership to make a durable commitment to the success Georgia has already demonstrated, and will provide a clear path to moving from a great state to the undisputed leader in regional economic cooperation. To do so will require an open-door policy between our city and state leaders, particularly amidst rapidly changing federal policies and accelerating technological growth. And it will require both parties to be accountable to one another, while resisting the urge to be swayed by political cycles.
As we continue through what will likely prove a historic election year, the most urgent task for the Mayor, the general assembly and our federal delegation is simple: lean into our unique position as a power capital. Treat city‑state partnership not as a talking point, but as the organizing principle that elevates Georgia’s growth to an unprecedented new level. I witnessed that commitment firsthand when I staffed Mayor Dickens’ first meeting with Governor Kemp, and its impact has been evident over the past four years. The foundation is laid; now is the time to institutionalize this unique power and ensure Atlanta, and Georgia’s, continued success.
