Kasim Reed
Kasim Reed | |
---|---|
Georgia Senate from the 35th district | |
In office January 13, 2003 – September 1, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Donzella James |
Succeeded by | Donzella James |
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 52nd district | |
In office January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 | |
Preceded by | Henrietta Canty |
Succeeded by | Fran Millar |
Personal details | |
Born | Mohammed Kasim Reed June 10, 1969 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Howard University (AB, JD) |
Website | Official website |
Mohammed Kasim Reed[1] (born June 10, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia's state capital and largest city, from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002 and represented the 35th District in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2009. He served as campaign manager for Shirley Franklin's successful Atlanta mayoral campaign in 2001. After Franklin was term limited from the mayor's office, Reed successfully ran for the position in 2009. Inaugurated on January 4, 2010, Reed was elected to a second term in 2013.
In 2014, Reed announced his marriage to Sarah-Elizabeth Langford; two months later, the mayor's office announced the birth of the couple's daughter.[2] Divorce proceedings began in 2019.
On June 10, 2021, Reed declared that he was seeking another term as Atlanta's mayor in the
Early life and education
Reed was born in
Howard University
Reed attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 1991 with a degree in political science.
Students took over the Howard administration building in 1989, protesting having Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater on the university's board of trustees, saying that he had contributed to "growing anti-black sentiment in America" through his management of President George H. W. Bush's campaign. Atwater resigned from the board. Reed disagreed with their action, saying there was nothing wrong with having the Republican Party try to win the votes of black students. He felt it would have been better if Atwater had met with the protesting students, as he might have learned more about their position. For instance, "[he] might have gained insight into a generation of students portrayed as destitute and in need of more federal support." Reed noted "that 85 percent of Howard's 12,000 students receive federal aid."[8]
An early
While at college, Reed
Legal career
After graduation from law school Reed joined the law firm of
Political career
Georgia State Representative
Henrietta Canty was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 52nd district during 1975–80 and 1990–98, resigning in 1998 to run for Georgia State Insurance Commissioner.[19] Seven candidates vied for her seat in the July 21, 1998 Democratic primary election.[20] Reed was the leading vote-getter with 36.6% of the vote, finishing well ahead of community leaders Horace Mann Bond and Eric V. Thomas, the second and third-place finishers, respectively.[21] This resulted in a head-to-head August 11 run-off election, which Reed won with 60.6% of the vote, against the second-place finisher, Horace Mann Bond II, who had received 19.1% of the vote in July.[22] Reed ran unopposed in the November 3 general election and won the Assembly seat.[23]
Reed ran a re-election campaign in 2000, when he was challenged by Clarence Canty, the son of Henrietta Canty.[24][25][26] Reed won the July 18, 2000, Democratic primary by a large margin, with 77.0% of the vote, winning by a 12.7% margin.[27] In the November 7, 2000, general election he ran unopposed.[28] In the House of Representatives, he represented a predominately African-American constituency in south Atlanta.[29] Reed served as a member of the House Judiciary, Education, and Congressional and Legislative Reapportionment Committees.[18]
While in office, in 2001 Reed served as the
For the 2000 election, House District 52 had been entirely contained in Fulton County.[28] After the decennary redistricting, the 52nd district was entirely within DeKalb County for the November 5, 2002, election which was won by Fran Millar.[31]
Georgia State Senator
In 2000 the 35th Georgia State Senate District was entirely contained in Fulton County, and State Senator Donzella James was an uncontested Democrat in the November 7 general election.
In January 2006, Reed introduced a bill to authorize scholastic teaching of the
Reed's committee assignments were the following: Senate Judiciary Committee, Special Judiciary Committee, Ethics Committee, Transportation Committee and the State and Local Government Operations Committee. He also serves as vice-chairman of the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus. He has also served the Georgia Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as its chairman.[6] In addition, he was a partner at Holland & Knight LLP.[6] Previously, he worked in the music industry for Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP.[18]
Mayor of Atlanta
A month before the February 5, 2008
On September 1, Reed resigned from the Georgia Senate to run for mayor.[49] No candidate won a majority in the November 3 general election,[50] and Donzella James defeated Torrey O. Johnson in the runoff election on December 1 to replace Reed.[51]
In the November 3, 2009 election, Reed qualified for a December 1
Thomas Friedman has praised Reed in The New York Times for balancing the city's budget by limiting the pensions of city employees. This money was instead spent on the police force, as well as on community centers in poor neighborhoods (rather than on reversing the 42% increase in property taxes passed in 2009). He praises Reed as "combining a soft touch with a hard head".[58]
Reed announced his campaign for re-election as mayor on August 26, 2013.[59] He was elected to a second term on November 5, 2013.[60]
Bribery charges and federal indictment
In February 2017, Reed fired the city's chief procurement officer after two city contractors pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges.[61] At a February 9 news conference, Reed insisted, "I have never taken a bribe", and gave reporters physical access to 406 boxes of documents that had been demanded by federal investigators.[61]
On August 15, 2018, Katrina Taylor-Parks pleaded guilty to conspiring to accept bribe payments while serving as the City of Atlanta's Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor Kasim Reed for approximately eight years. She was sentenced to five years in prison.[62] Atlanta's top purchasing officer, Adam Smith, received a reduced sentence of 27 months in prison.[63] In a separate hearing, Mitzi Bickers, the former Human Services Director and campaign advisor of Mayor Reed is accused of taking over 2 million dollars in bribes.[64]
Policy positions
Georgia state flag
Since the 1990s, the official State Flag of Georgia had been a center of controversy as it incorporated the historic Confederate flag dating to the American Civil War, which among some people is thought to symbolize resistance to cultural changes in the state. After 2001 changes to the flag which removed this, Governor of Georgia Roy Barnes, who had led the flag-redesign effort, was defeated for re-election; many thought it was the result of the political backlash. The 1956 version with the Confederate States of America battle emblem, known as a St. Andrew's cross, was a continuing topic of debate for southern heritage proponents.[65]
Reed served as one of Governor Sonny Perdue's floor leaders in debates that led to the ratification of the current (2003) version of the state flag.[66] Reed's leadership in dealmaking with Senate Republicans kept the 1956 version of the flag off Perdue's statewide referendum on the flag in 2003.[46] The referendum was originally a two-part referendum pitting the 2001 version of the flag against the proposed version and conditional on failed ratification of a new flag considering other flags including the 1956 version. Under this format if the legislators did not approve the newly designed flag over the existing one they could have pursued other designs including the one with the controversial 1956 version of the flag. Reed and a contingent of black legislators from Atlanta limited the referendum to a single vote of preference between the 2003 version and the 2001 version.[46][67][68]
Gay marriage
On May 21, 2009, Reed caused controversy in Atlanta's
In January 2015, Reed fired Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran following Cochran's self-publication and distribution of a book without permission from Reed or the city's Ethics Department. However, Cochran did obtain permission from Nina Hickson, the City of Atlanta's Ethics Officer. The book, in expressing his interpretation of Christian teaching, describes homosexuality as a "perversion." Cochran wrote and self-published the book in 2013. There remain questions regarding whether Mayor Reed knew of the book and its contents before Cochran was fired. Cochran has since filed suit in federal court alleging wrongful termination.[71] This case has been decided in favor of Kevin Cochran and the City of Atlanta has agreed to a $1.2 million settlement.[72]
In June 2015, Reed praised the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of same-sex marriage and ordered Atlanta City Hall to be lit in rainbow colors in celebration of what he called "a momentous victory for freedom, equality, and love."[73][74]
Transportation investment tax
Along with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, Reed was a major proponent of a campaign for a transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax, which would have levied a 1% local sales tax for ten years, from 2013 until 2022, to fund transportation infrastructure projects.[75] Reed said that the passage of the referendum would add jobs and alleviate congestion in the city, while "failing to pass the measure would be economically damaging" for Atlanta. The proposal was defeated in a referendum, however. Reed stated that he would "work with opponents on the next plan to ease congestion."[76]
Awards and recognition
Mayor Reed's civic leadership and service have been nationally recognized in publications such as the
In 2017, the Atlanta Hawks retired the jersey number 59 in honor of Reed who was involved with the team throughout his tenure.[78]
See also
- List of mayors of the largest 50 US cities
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