Governing magazine has named Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed one of its "Public Officials of the Year," a designation for state and local government leaders honored for "leadership and excellence." The annual awards program is in its eighteenth year. This year, it included a university chancellor, police chief, judge, governor, senator, county executive, Reed and the co-chairs of a Boston IT agency.

Reed was recognized for an overhaul of the city's pension plan and in increase in Atlanta's fiscal reserves. He also reopened community centers and pools, added new police officers and pushed a pay raise for police and firefighters. The winners are profiled in the November issue of the magazine and online.

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)