This one belongs to Atlanta.
Mayor Andre Dickens has been named one of Governing magazine’s 2026 Public Officials of the Year, a national recognition of state and local leaders making a difference in the communities they serve.
For Atlanta, it’s a proud moment. Mayor Dickens grew up here, went to Atlanta Public Schools, attended Georgia Tech, served on the Atlanta City Council and now leads the city he has called home his entire life.
And the work earning national attention is Atlanta’s work.
In its profile, Governing highlights the Mayor’s focus on making sure the city’s growth reaches the people and neighborhoods that have not always shared equally in Atlanta’s success.
That includes more than 13,700 affordable housing units completed or underway toward the Mayor’s goal of 20,000 units by 2030. Nearly 14,000 young people have found jobs through the City’s summer youth employment efforts. Homicides have decreased 50 percent over the past four years.
The article also points to Atlanta’s use of technology to improve City services, from ATL311 and public records to detecting water leaks.
For Mayor Dickens, that focus comes from his own Atlanta story. He told Governing about growing up in a part of the city that did not see the same investment, grocery stores and jobs as other neighborhoods. Today, he is focused on making sure more Atlantans have the opportunity not just to get by, but to thrive.
Governing selects its Public Officials of the Year from leaders across the country who are delivering results in their communities and whose work can offer lessons for others.
This year, one of them is ours.
Read Governing’s full profile, “Andre Dickens Wants Every Atlantan to Share in the City’s Success,” and see the full list of 2026 Public Officials of the Year.
