British author Charles Dickens (1812-1870) published his perhaps best known and most widely and well-received fictional novel, "A Tale of Two Cities," in 1859, 163 years ago.
Andre Dickens, the newly elected Mayor of Atlanta, has been working with all due diligent speed, effort, and sincerity to reunify at least two cities within Georgia's capital city of Atlanta since being sworn in just over 100 days ago.
Yes, it is early and the landscape of the Dickens novel spanned two countries, their respective capitals of London and Paris, and close to 20 years within three books...but I am increasingly optimistic that Andre Dickens' and his tenure leading Atlanta is going to have a MUCH happier ending.
From the novel...
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair -"
So much of that is true of our Atlanta today...but perhaps not through the lens and staying power of this young, hard-charging, and earnest Mayor. On almost every front, Andre Dickens is simultaneously making progress on a multitude of Atlanta's seemingly intractable challenges.
