Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed spent about $1.6 million of his own campaign cash in the final quarter of 2013, directing the bulk of his money into get-out-the-vote efforts and flashy TV ads ahead of his re-election, while also donating to favorite candidates and causes.
Just how the mayor would spend his war chest — as high as $2 million in cash on hand last September — was a hot topic throughout the campaign season as Reed faced little real competition for his second term.
A review of campaign finance disclosures from October through December shows that didn’t stop him from spending hundreds of thousands on a vast political network to push get-out-the-vote efforts, a move many saw as aiding political allies in their races. The mayor also spent $635,000 to polish his public image with a snazzy, beat-thumping commercial.
Tharon Johnson, Reed’s former campaign manager and senior adviser to the re-election campaign, said the commercial was designed to highlight Reed’s accomplishments and promote a second-term agenda. But Johnson also hinted at a larger purpose, noting the commercials narrated by celebrity Jamie Foxx captured “a transition of a person into a statesman.”
A statesman who raised a total of $3.4 million for his re-election campaign and spent $2.75 million over the entire election cycle, according to his camp. As of his Dec. 30 campaign finance disclosure, the mayor has $645,000 in cash left.
“He has a willingness to spend money where he sees it as furthering his political objectives,” said Howard Franklin, a Democratic political consultant who ran Jason Esteves’ school board campaign. Reed endorsed Esteves, who won.
And those objectives, Franklin and others believe, were to tout successes and churn out the vote for political allies.
“In addition to polishing his image, Reed also was building upon and expanding political capital,” Franklin continued. “To some degree that includes recruiting and pushing through political allies, whether they’re on the Atlanta City Council or on the Board of Education.”
Calculating just how much the Reed team spent on get-out-the-vote efforts is difficult because disclosures are reported in a variety of ways. Expenditures can include consultant fees, travel costs, rental space and paying canvassers.
Mark Rountree, a political strategist and head of Landmark Communications, noted Reed ran a large-scale operation with many players.
“He actually ran the campaign, he ran the race, which runs counter-intuitive to what you’d think he would have done,” he said. “He built quite a little army of people to do canvassing in a race he was essentially unopposed.”
From the beginning of October through year’s end, Reed spent at least $152,000 supporting various political causes and candidates. It’s no surprise that Reed shared his wealth with allies, if his own words are any indication.
“The No. 1 rule for me in politics is loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, and did I mention loyalty?” Reed said in a press conference following his Jan. 6 inauguration. “I don’t hide that.”
The Democratic Party of Georgia picked up $38,000 from the mayor in late October. And as first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the mayor pumped more than $90,000 of his own money into a Super-PAC backed by elite businesspeople, known as Continue Atlanta’s Progress, an effort to steer the outcome of a few city council and school board races.
The mayor did not make direct contributions in the fourth quarter to every candidate he endorsed, such as former Atlanta Post 3 At-Large Councilman H. Lamar Willis, Post 2 At-Large Councilman Aaron Watson and school board member Brenda Muhammad. All lost their respective races in November.
But Reed spent $24,000 on others, maxing out allowable contributions — $2,500 — to candidates such as Councilman Ivory Young and Councilwoman Cleta Winslow. He gave $1,300 to school board candidates Eshé Collins and former board chairman Reuben McDaniel in mid-November ahead of the Dec. 3 runoff. Collins won; McDaniel lost his re-election bid.
Reed also gave $2,500 to State Rep. “Able” Mable Thomas, D-Atlanta, in late November, a week after a dust-up between residents and city officials over the Atlanta Falcons stadium community-benefits meetings. Thomas was a vocal opponent of the process to devise the community-benefits plan — a roadmap for how to divvy up millions committed to communities affected by the future stadium.
Johnson said the contribution was unrelated.
“The mayor will support people who support him and support his agenda,” he said. “That contribution had nothing to do with the progression or timeline of the stadium.”
Thomas said as much, noting it’s common for politicians to support each other ahead of a legislative session as state leaders cannot receive donations during that period.
Reed’s support extended beyond city boundaries, as well, with records showing he contributed $6,300 to a political action committee supporting State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, D-Austell.
Under state law, Reed can continue to raise funds though the election is over and use those funds for office expenses or charitable donations. He can’t, however, use that money to run for another political office.
While the mayor typically rebuffs suggestions his eye is on the next prize, Johnson, his campaign adviser, didn’t discount that a statewide run could be in his future.
“He is focused on being the mayor for the second term,” he said, then adding: “Once he is done serving the people of Atlanta in a second term, I think all options will be on the table for him.”
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