Young endorsement a coup for Kasim Reed 's mayoral bid

“I took the liberty then of saying, ‘I hope you finish your education and come on back to Atlanta where you grew up, ‘cause in about 20 years we’re going to need a mayor like you,’ ” said Young, who donated $1,000 to Reed’s campaign.

“He is a person that I have admired for my entire adult life,” Reed said. “As mayor, he attracted business and good paying jobs to Atlanta. He moved Atlanta to a different place and made it an international city. I look forward to campaigning with him and learning from him, if I am fortunate enough to be elected mayor.”

Young’s roots run deep into the civil rights movement and his reach spreads across the globe as a former U.N. ambassador. During the height of the civil rights movement, he was the top aide to Martin Luther King, Jr. Currently, he has business partnerships throughout Africa.

Aside from current mayor Shirley Franklin, there may not be a bigger endorsement within the city. Franklin, whose two mayoral campaigns were run by Reed, has not yet endorsed a candidate. Neither has former mayor Sam Massell.

Young’s endorsement comes a week after Mary Norwood was endorsed by the Atlanta Professional Firefighters Association.

“I respect Ambassador Young very much,” Norwood said. “At the end of the day, the voters will make a decision on which candidate they think will keep the city safe, provide services and have the city work for them again.”

The Lisa Borders camp shared some of the same sentiment.

“Endorsements are important and welcomed by all campaigns,” said Borders’ spokesperson Liz Flowers, adding that her candidate was endorsed Tuesday by iMove, an independent voters organization. “While we all love them, they don’t replace voters coming to the polls.”