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Kasim Reed
Kasim Reed is running for Atlanta Mayor.
Political background
Kasim Reed was Mayor of Atlanta for two terms, from 2010 until 2018. He was the Chairman of the Transportation and Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Chairman of the Regional Transit Committee of the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Before serving as mayor, Kasim was a member of the Georgia General Assembly for eleven years. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 until 2002. From 2002 until 2009, he was a member of the Georgia State Senate, where he was Vice Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Professional background
Before beginning his political career, Kasim was a lawyer practicing employment law and entertainment law. He worked as a partner of law firm Holland and Knight LLP. He worked on what he called the dark side of employment law, representing employers against complaints by their employees. He represented Clear Channel Entertainment and American Airlines.
Sources:
Georgia Rising Stars
Personal background
Kasim was raised in Atlanta. He graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Juris Doctor degree. He was appointed as a General Trustee on the Howard University Board of Trustees in 2002 and currently serves as a Trustee Emeriti.
Sources:
Georgia Rising Stars
ON THE ISSUES
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Public Services
- Against Buckhead leaving the city of Atlanta, claiming that it would hurt funding for the Atlanta Public School system.
COVID
As of August 3, 2021, Kasim Reed’s website did not contain information on this issue.
Sources:
Candidate website
City Budget
- Took office as mayor in 2010 when Atlanta's budget was $48 million short. During his previous terms as mayor, Kasim had eight years of a balanced budget, and he did not increase property taxes. The city's cash reserves increased from $7.4 million to $200 million, and the city's credit rating went up each year.
Sources:
Candidate website
Housing & Urban Development
- Said he would partner with a panel of developers to build affordable housing on city-owned land.
- Would audit existing projects where promises of affordable housing were made to see if those units were actually affordable.
- During his first term as mayor, Kasim criticized the Atlanta Housing Authority's use of housing vouchers, stating that the organization "is basically an apartment management company for middle-income people that has a voucher program. I do not believe that the Atlanta Housing Authority focuses enough on working people and homeless people."
- Invested $26 million in 2017 to "make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring in the City of Atlanta."
Public Safety
- Said, "I know how to fix crime, and I do know I could turn our crime environment around in 180 days, and I know that I've done it before."
- Hired more than 900 police officers when he became mayor in 2010. During his term in office, crime dropped 37 percent.
Zoning
- Against making neighborhoods more dense.
- Said, "you should review projects on a case-by-case basis. The zoning changes that they're discussing right now put neighborhoods in too defensive of a posture. And I think we should lead from neighborhoods."
- Against allowing small apartment buildings or second units in single-family residential districts.
Corruption
- Accused of multiple ethics violations. AJC reported in June 2021 that federal prosecutors are considering criminal wire fraud charges against Kasim over $8,752 in campaign money from his previous mayoral campaign that he allegedly spent on five personal purchases of furniture, jewelry, lingerie, and two resort vacations, which is illegal.
- Said he takes responsibility for the federal investigation, that he could not have foresee the corruption, and that he is a "better man" today than when he was mayor.
- Accused twice of violating state campaign finance laws during this campaign, including accepting $38,000 in illegal campaign contributions during this campaign. A spokesperson for Kasim said, "any donations made in error will be returned." The State Ethics Commission is investigating the complaints against Kasim, and the investigation could take months.
