Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens asks top donors for $250,000 to help fund inauguration events

Riley Bunch, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec 9, 2025

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ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is soliciting up to $250,000 from top donors to sponsor three days of events celebrating his second-term inauguration.

An email sent by the Dickens Inauguration Committee — a group that registered with the state a week after the mayor’s win in November — outlines tiers of event sponsorships that start at $2,500 and go up from there.

The mayor’s biggest contributors who hand over a quarter of a million dollars to help pay for the festivities would receive 30 tickets to the mayor’s inaugural ceremony to be held on the morning of Jan. 5, and 40 tickets to a formal ball set for that evening — along with their logo on event signage, swag and a photo opportunity with the mayor.

“As Mayor Dickens continues to move Atlanta forward, with bold vision and momentum, this inauguration marks an important moment for our city and for all who have supported Mayor Dickens’ leadership,” the email says.

The “Moving Atlanta Forward Inaugural Ball” is described by the campaign as a “signature party to celebrate Atlanta’s leadership and future.”

Campaign officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the top $250,000 tier sponsorship was necessary to raise enough funds in the one-month time period ahead of the ball. They would not specify the party’s total cost.

Major donations to fund the expensive celebration aren’t out of the norm. In 2023, the AJC reported that special interest groups and top supporters of Gov. Brian Kemp contributed more than $426,000 toward his inauguration.

But it’s a high price tag to help ring in the mayor’s second term after he overwhelming won reelection with 85% of votes. Dickens cruised through his campaign without a high-profile challenger threatening his bid.

Throughout his campaign, Dickens reported more than $4.6 million in his reelection war chest after some early concerns within his campaign that the lack of a well-known challenger might stifle donations.

According to an AJC analysis of campaign finance records, some of his top corporate donors include: the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, Delta Air Lines and Blackwell Management Solutions — a corporate consulting company.

The inauguration events also include an “ATL Cares!” day on Jan. 3 — a citywide day of volunteer work with 61 planned projects. An hourlong interfaith service on Jan. 4 will also be streamed on WSB-TV.

When first elected, Dickens inaugural celebrations were limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His swearing-in took place at his alma mater, Georgia Institute of Technology’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Both former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Kasim Reed held a “citizen’s reception” at City Hall after their swearing-in ceremonies that were free and open to the public.

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Dickens’ easy win isn’t his only reason to celebrate this election cycle. Eight of the nine local candidates the mayor endorsed also won their races.

That includes Council member Marci Collier Overstreet who won in a bitter fight for the president’s gavel and Thomas Worthy and Wayne Martin who just won runoffs for council Districts 7 and 11.

“The mayor swept the endorsements on council,” said Howard Franklin, senior adviser to the Dickens campaign. “We’re feeling really good about what this means for voters trust in his vision for moving the city forward as well as continuing to have a strong relationship with council.”

The easy wins for incumbents on Atlanta City Council and victories of two new faces solidify the body’s support for the mayor as he enters his second term and looks to push ambitious agenda items like his controversial plan to extend all eight of the city’s tax allocation districts.

Behind closed doors, the mayor’s office lobbied City Council to take a vote on the extension ahead of the new year and before new members were sworn-in, but Atlanta’s legislators opted to press pause on that decision.

Dickens likely has the support to pass the extension on council, but also needs buy-in from Atlanta School Board and Fulton County which is not guaranteed. The mayor added two allies to the school board with Kaycee Brock, who won Seat 8 At-Large, and Tony Mitchell, who won District 2.

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