Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens backs Summerhill residents in fight to keep 1996 Olympic cauldron

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is weighing in on the debate over the future of a landmark from the 1996 Olympic Games.

In a new letter, Dickens said he believes the iconic Olympic cauldron should remain in the Summerhill neighborhood, despite efforts by Georgia State University and Atlanta Legacy '96 officials to move it to Centennial Olympic Park.

"A city's greatest moments should belong to its people first," Dickens wrote. "The Olympic cauldron should remain in the neighborhood it has called home for the past 30 years — just as thousands of residents have."

In the letter to Atlanta Legacy '96 President Jeff Cravens and his partners, Dickens said the city "stands ready to ensure the cauldron and the surrounding public space appropriately honor Atlanta's Olympic legacy and the communities that have cared for it for the past three decades."

"The decision to relocate the Olympic cauldron does not reflect the collaborative approach these communities deserve," Dickens wrote.

In July, Summerhill residents protested plans to move the top portion of the Olympic Flame Tower from its current location near Center Parc Stadium. Community members who spoke with CBS News Atlanta at the time said their main concern was how the decision was made.

"Georgia State called some of the community stakeholders to have a conversation about it and basically just told us what was going to happen," said Sharon Pitchford, executive director of the Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corporation.

Georgia State said in a written statement that the project would help preserve Atlanta's Olympic legacy while maintaining a connection to the Summerhill community. The university also said the tower and Olympic Rings bridge would remain in their current locations.

Neither Georgia State nor Atlanta Legacy '96 has publicly responded to Dickens' letter.