The Georgia State University Convocation Center was packed with supporters during the inauguration ceremonies for City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (above), Atlanta City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet, and municipal judges. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice As the City of At lanta navigated a morning fog advisory, the city’s leadership, the Mayor, City Council, and Municipal Court judges, prepared to be inaugurated into office. The inauguration ceremonies took place on Monday inside Convocation Hall in the city’s Summerhill section. For City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, this would be the day he officially took office for his second term. For many members of the Atlanta City Council and the city’s municipal court, this was a routine occurrence in their careers of civil and public service. For newly elected Atlanta City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet, this inaugural ceremony would be different. It was the beginning of her time as the leader of the city council. “I’m honored to be surrounded by neighbors and partners who love this city as much as I do,” Marci Collier Overstreet (above) said. “I’m grateful to be a child of our great city, Atlanta.” Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice Collier Overstreet was joined on stage by former State Court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds, who administered the oath, as well as her husband and children. Collier Overstreet was born and raised in Atlanta and often mentions her elementary and high school connections to the city, as well as the lessons she learned about working with people while working as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant.  “I’m honored to be surrounded by neighbors and partners who love this city as much as I do,” Collier Overstreet said. “I’m grateful to be a child of our great city, Atlanta.” Collier Overstreet spoke about campaigning during the previous year and hearing citizen complaints about accessibility issues they face when attending city council meetings, and the lack of town hall meetings. Collier Overstreet said she plans on doing something about that. “Town halls are back,” Collier Overstreet said. “You won’t have to wonder what’s happening at City Hall because City Hall is coming to you.”  “Atlanta must work for everyone,” Collier Overstreet (above) said. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice The vision for her time as city council president will be to continue helping Atlanta be what she called, “A model city for America,” Collier Overstreet said. During her address, Collier Overstreet was also complimentary of the job former Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman did while in office, particularly during his only term. Collier Overstreet had the same energy for her colleagues, many of whom she had worked with for years while a member of the Atlanta City Council.  “Every member of the city council has something to offer,” she said.  Atlanta Municipal Court Chief Judge Christopher E. Ward spoke for his colleagues during the ceremony.  “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our 61st Mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens, and our President of the Atlanta City Council, Marci Collier Overstreet. We looked forward to working with you all in moving the City of Atlanta forward,” Ward said. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville administered the oath of office for the municipal court judges, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney administered the oath of office for the city council. Collier Overstreet concluded her remarks by asking the audience to imagine what her hometown would look like one day. “Let’s take a moment to imagine the future of the city,” she said. “Atlanta is not just the place I live; Atlanta captivated my heart. Atlanta is my home.”  Right outside the doors of the convocation center, directly across Capitol Avenue, high in the air, the street stood golden Olympic Rings and the words, “Atlanta 1996”—the past, present, and future of Atlanta in one place at the same time. “Atlanta must work for everyone,” Collier Overstreet said. The post ‘Atlanta Must Work for Everyone’: Atlanta Leadership Swears In appeared first on The Atlanta Voice. ...read more read less