Former Atlanta Police Department officer Kalema Jackson wants to be the next mayor of Atlanta, and he is not allowing the fact that he doesn’t know how to do that to stop him.
Jackson is one of three men running against the current Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens. Last week, he participated in the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young debate series. The debates, which were not televised live but aired on YouTube and WABE, were Jackson’s first opportunity to speak to Fulton County voters. He was nervous and hesitated to listen to or watch a replay. His mother texted him and let him know he did well.
“That’s when I decided to take a look, and I gave myself a B-,” Jackson said with a laugh.
Jackson has not allowed his lack of political experience to keep him from believing he can run the city. He believes his time on the street as a police officer helped him understand what the people of Atlanta need from its leaders. Jackson served the city for 13 years, most in Zone 3, and wants to return to continue his service, this time from City Hall, he said.
“I want to do right by the city,” said Jackson, 50, who is unmarried and without children. “I am proud of my career as a police officer. I wanted to make a contribution to this community, and I want to do it again.”
Jackson was born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, and moved to Atlanta in 1996 to attend college. He recalled that the city he encountered when he arrived had changed for better and worse. After graduating from art school, Jackson saw an Atlanta Police Department recruitment advertisement in the newspaper and decided to see what it was about.
In 2002, Jackson completed his Atlanta Police Department academy training and joined the force. For the next 13 years, he patrolled the streets and cemented relationships, not with major players in the halls of City Hall, but with people who live, work, and play within the communities of Atlanta.
When asked if he misses working as a police officer, Jackson, who retired in 2015, said, “Kind of.”
“I am proud that the community would call on me, and I’m proud that I had that type of impact,” Jackson said. “I took every case and call seriously.”
Voting turnout for the mayoral elections in Fulton County has routinely been low. Just under 50% of the nearly 900,000 registered voters participated in the 2024 general election, so turnout was low among Atlantans, too. Jackson believes voters want a candidate whom they can be excited about.
“I have been watching the progress of the current administration, and I think I can do a better job,” said Jackson. “I feel I have a lot to offer.”
Jackson told The Atlanta Voice that he wants to bring more development to the city’s southside and provide more job fairs for residents.
“Have companies there that are actually hiring,” Jackson said of the job fairs.
The underdog mayoral candidate has done little campaigning, with only three weeks until Election Day, November 4. Asked what his campaign plans are, Jackson said it was to get out amongst the people more.
“I’d like to get a little more exposure, get more support, because I want to just do right for the people,” he said.