Ex-lawmaker building bridges as Atlanta mayor

By ERRIN HAINES

Associated Press Writer

Just as he has for more than a decade, Kasim Reed has spent much of January under the Gold Dome representing Atlanta.

But 2010 brings him to the Capitol not as a member of the General Assembly, but as the city's 59th mayor. The ex-lawmaker is using his new role to build bridges with old friends and try to create a more cooperative relationship between state government and Georgia's biggest city. And he's taking similar steps to build goodwill in Washington.

"You have a friend in me, a real friend," Reed told members of the House this week. "It's time for us to have a cease fire. Let's get through these tough times together. Let's win for Georgia."

While it's still too early to tell whether the feelings of unity will translate into more dollars for Atlanta — the state's economic engine — both sides appear to be willing to set aside the hard feelings of the past to face their shared challenges, at least for now.

It is Reed, a former state representative and senator, who was the first to extend the olive branch. In at least his third visit in as many weeks, his former colleagues reciprocated, lauding him with a House resolution celebrating the victory of one of their own, clapping and cheering as he entered the chamber.

Reed vowed to be a partner.

"I'm a rookie member on this team," he said. "You all are the captains on this ship."

And earlier in the week, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle had kind words for Reed, saying that "the new mayor is doing a great job and we look forward to positive things in the future."

House Majority Whip Ed Lindsey said he hopes the relationships Reed built in the both chambers and on both sides of the political aisle will bear fruit on a wide range of issues.

"He's been a strong advocate of a regional transportation plan and he is someone who has ... strong connections on the federal level," Lindsey said. He added that he hoped Reed could be a force for helping the state resolve its long-running dispute with neighboring states over water use.

Reed, a Democrat, has been to Washington twice since his inauguration on Jan. 4, courting Georgia's Congressional delegation and cultivating relationships with those who control federal purse strings, and has met with President Barack Obama several times already.

"He's working the Obama administration on behalf of Atlanta and the state," said state Rep. Calvin Smyre. "That's helpful, to have that lifeline to Washington."

Atlanta's relationship with the rest of Georgia has been rocky at times, not unlike the rifts between other states and their big cities. And while the divide existed even under a Democratic-controlled General Assembly, the Southern capital's relationship soured anew when Republicans took control of the state.

Trauma care at cash-strapped Grady Memorial Hospital and MARTA, the public transit authority, have been two of the main agencies targeted by some lawmakers' acrimony toward Atlanta, said state Sen. Vincent Fort of Atlanta.

"MARTA and Grady are seen as Atlanta," Fort said. "The fact of the matter is Grady's situation and MARTA's situation is a state situation. The anti-Atlanta attitude helps to make sure rural areas get little help, too."

Reed is not the first Atlanta mayor to try to make inroads with state leaders. His predecessor, Shirley Franklin, also reached out in a bid to improve the rocky relations established during the era of Bill Campbell, who was indicted on federal corruption charges after he left the mayor's office. He was found guilty of tax evasion.

But Franklin had spent her career in city politics and lacked the relationships Reed brought with him to City Hall. The former legislator recently noted that the walk from the Capitol to City Hall is only 243 steps.

Fort said he is optimistic because of the tone set by Reed and echoed by Speaker of the House David Ralston and others in the General Assembly. What it will mean for specifics, including transportation, education and the state's ongoing fight with Alabama and Florida over water use — which directly affects Atlanta — will unfold in the coming months and years.

With the state and city each facing a budget crisis, Georgia isn't expected to do much for Atlanta in terms of cash in the upcoming fiscal year.

But hot issues like transportation funding could have an enormous impact on Georgia's capital. Legislators appear poised to finally adopt a transportation plan that would allow voters to decide whether to hike the sales tax by one penny to pay for road and transit projects.

Meanwhile, Reed could find himself at the middle of a divisive fight if a proposal to split Fulton County in two begins to move this year in the state Legislature. Atlanta would remain intact under the proposal but could feel a financial hit if Fulton County's affluent northern suburbs are peeled away to form a separate county.

Emory University political science professor Michael Leo Owens said Reed is smart to start laying the groundwork for efforts that might not pay off right away.

"He's taking on the new role as being chief lobbyist for the city of Atlanta," Owens said.

"It's very heartening that he is being positively received in the halls of the state Capitol," Owens said. "He really wants to create new types of partnerships between municipal and state government, and he's looking for whatever opportunities will permit him to do that."