Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he was "offended" by the inflammatory email sent by Hawks owner Bruce Levenson that led him to put his piece of the franchise up for sale. But the mayor said the franchise's attendance woes have a lot more to do with performance on the court than any other outside factor.
"I think people care about winning, and I think winning brings out fans more," he told AM 680 on Monday morning. "I didn't agree with his assessment, and I think there are a lot of counter-examples with that. Atlanta is becoming increasingly diverse ... There is a very diverse and young group of millennials moving into Atlanta."
He added: "We shouldn't have a conversation centered on race when it's really focused on winning ... Let's not make it about race."
For Reed, the Hawks ownership turmoil marks the fourth drama he's tackled with a pro franchise since he took office. The mayor tried to prevent the Thrashers from moving to Canada in 2011, brokered the 2013 deal to build a new Falcons stadium downtown and squabbled with the Braves last year over the team's move to Cobb.
He said Monday he's confident the NBA team's remaining partners want to keep the franchise in the city.
"We're focused like a laser to get a local owner who is focused on Atlanta, and we're not going to turn this into a circus," he said.
Gov. Nathan Deal said in an interview Monday that no one has contacted his office yet about the team's pending sale.
"I haven't had any conversations with anyone. Nobody has made any requests to us, as far as I'm aware," he said. "So we'll just have to see what happens there."
(The governor, by the way, steered clear of wading into the debate over Levenson's email. When asked if he had an opinion on the note, he said, "not really.")
Reed, for his part, said he understands how important perception of downtown is to Atlanta's image, and promised "bolder action" in the next months to target aggressive panhandling and reduce homelessness.
"We've got to be more decisive in our downtown and commercial corridors, but we've got to be more passionate," the mayor said, citing a drop in crime during his tenure. "I've got to take that on, and I will, but the facts have to matter."
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