One day after one of his department heads was caught up in the widening Atlanta City Hall bribery scandal, Mayor Kasim Reed again expressed anger about the alleged wrongdoing on his watch.
“It is very frustrating and disappointing to be in this space right now,” Reed told V103’s Ryan Cameron and Wanda Smith on their morning radio show Wednesday. “We had a really challenging day yesterday.”
Federal agents on Tuesday seized items in the office of Adam Smith, the city's chief procurement officer, who was later fired and escorted out of the building. Reed's office declined to say exactly why Smith had been terminated.
A federal investigation into bribery has roiled City Hall since January when subcontractor Elvin "E.R." Mitchell Jr. was named in an alleged "pay to play" scheme for city contracts. Smith's ties to the investigation and his role in it, if any, are not yet known.
Reed declined to comment on Smith’s termination, but told the V103 personalities the allegations of City Hall malfeasance will be addressed.
“We are going to follow the facts where they go and we are going to prosecute any individuals engaged in illegal activities to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Reed’s expression of frustration has been a common theme in interviews about the investigation. He is concerned City Hall employees, who obey the law and do their work, are being dragged down by the scandal.
“Everybody is smeared by the behavior,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people who work for the city do an amazing job.”
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