ATLANTA — Election results for Atlanta's next mayor are expected to be certified on Monday as Atlanta councilman Andre Dickens and Felecia Moore prepare for a runoff. The mayoral runoff is scheduled to take place on Nov. 30. Whoever wins will be sworn in on Jan. 3 as the new mayor of Atlanta.
Moore received 41% of residents' votes compared to Dickens' 23%.
Dickens beat former Mayor Kasim Reed by 612 votes in a race to face City Council President Felicia Moore in the runoff, the Associated Press declared. In a Thursday afternoon press conference, Dickens said the city chose a path to "move forward."
"Atlanta has made choice in this election. We had the choice to either take us to the past, and the dark clouds that hang over this city, or to the future," he said.
In an 11Alive interview on Wednesday morning, Dickens said if he wins, he's going to be ready to go on day one. Dickens said he and Moore are colleagues and friends.
"We respect one another. And now we are going to go down to fight to become the mayor of Atlanta. I think the difference is that I'm ready on day one to actually implement the things that everyone want to see in this city."
As the polls stand, most voters are undecided on who they plan to elect in the race.
Moore has served two decades on the Atlanta City Council representing much of the Westside and northwest corner of Atlanta in District 9. Since 2018, she has been City Council president. She presents herself as a champion of transparency and clean government.
Dickens is a member of the City Council who, as an at-large councilman, has won two citywide races since 2013. Dickens has run a campaign built on the foundation of his community advocacy. He helped Atlanta establish a $15 minimum wage in 2017, and his campaign website touts his record as a leader on transportation and development issues.