Mayor Andre Dickens and City Hall leaders new and old will swear on a stack of Bibles this morning and officially begin a busy 2026.
Why it matters: City Hall is facing down last-minute FIFA World Cup prep, squabbles over extending tax incentives for developers, and a laundry list of housing and infrastructure projects in the coming months.
It's time to work.
Zoom in: The city's inauguration ceremony at Georgia State University's Convocation Hall begins at 1pm with the swearing-in of Dickens, who won 85% of the November vote against a crop of longshot challengers.
Expect the mayor to deliver a speech setting the stage for his second and final consecutive term — and to draw a line against anyone who might read him as a lame duck.
Members of the Atlanta City Council, including newly elected City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet, and Municipal Court judges will also be sworn in.
Context: The inauguration ceremony follows volunteer events across the city and a Sunday interfaith service.
Follow the money: In mid-December, a Dickens inauguration committee asked top donors for up to $250,000 to sponsor this past weekend's citywide volunteer project and interfaith service and a ball this evening.
Caveat: The practice is not new in local or state politics, AJC's Bill Torpy notes; Georgia governors stretching back to Roy Barnes, who left office in the early 2000s, have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for inauguration events.
State of play: The Atlanta City Council will hold an organizational meeting in City Hall at 4pm and host a meet and greet outside the chambers. The reception will be open to the public.
