Our AJC colleague Katie Leslie caught up with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed today, who spent part of his weekend stumping for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's in his re-election bid against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
Emanuel – former chief of staff to President Barack Obama – has been hammered in recent months for his tough and gruff leadership style. But if you ask Reed, known for his own sharp-edged demeanor, critics have got Rahm all wrong.
“I’ve known Rahm Emanuel for quite some time and the person that folks have been talking about isn’t the man I know,” Reed said.
Calling him “one of the biggest advocates for cities in the United States of America,” Reed noted Chicago’s leader always answered his calls while serving as Obama’s chief of staff and helped Atlanta rebuild its neighborhood stabilization program. Emanuel’s ties to Georgia go as far back as 1990, Reed said, when he worked for Ambassador Andrew Young’s unsuccessful campaign for governor.
“This person, this caricature that I’ve seen of him is inaccurate. And to the extent I can convey what I know from personal experience, he’s a person who has a heart for people,” Reed said. “He may have a tough exterior, may be very driven, but folks need to know this guy cares about people and the job that he’s doing in Chicago is an impressive job.”
He wasn't the only Atlanta politician who traveled to Chicago to stump for a mayoral candidate. State Sen. Vincent Fort made the trek over the weekend to back Garcia, who he said would bring a progressive leadership style that the Windy City sorely needs.
With polls showing Emanuel holding a considerable lead against Garcia, Reed seems unfazed. He said simply: “He’s going to win.”
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