The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former mayoral candidate Gay backs Dickens in runoff
‘He has the broadest vision for our city,’ she says at event.
Former Atlanta mayoral candidate Sharon Gay on Tuesday endorsed Councilman Andre Dickens for the city’s top job.
Gay, who finished fourth in last week’s general election with a little over 6,500 votes, is backing Dickens over City Council President Felicia Moore — the top vote-getter last week who finished shy of the 50% needed to win the race outright.
As the top two finishers, Dickens and Moore will advance to a Nov. 30 runoff.
Gay, a lawyer for the global firm Dentons, announced her support for the two-term councilman at an event in Inman Park on Tuesday afternoon alongside several neighborhood leaders and former Mayor Shirley Franklin, who endorsed Dickens last month.
Gay said she respects Moore’s work ethic and integrity, “but elections are about the future.”
“And I believe [Dickens] is the best positioned to take us forward into the future,” Gay said. “He has the broadest vision for our city.”
Gay said she first met Dickens over eight years ago, when she supported his first City Council campaign. She said he is “somebody who actually does the work,” pointing especially to legislation he championed on the City Council related to affordable housing.
Dickens recalled sharing the stage with Gay at dozens of forums before the general election and said he is grateful for her support.
“I enjoyed as much as someone can enjoy 50 forums and debates ... campaigning with Sharon and hearing her ideas,” Dickens said.
Gay finished the general election with about 7% of the vote, in fourth place behind Moore, Dickens and former Mayor Kasim Reed. But she polled above Dickens in some precincts in Buckhead, an area of town where Moore dominated.
The two other leading candidates who did not make the runoff, Reed and Councilman Antonio Brown, have not publicly thrown their support behind either candidate.