I am a Democrat from southwest Atlanta. Gov. Nathan Deal is a Republican from Washington County.
While we differ on many issues, we share an unwavering commitment to protect the future of metropolitan Atlanta and Georgia and create well-paying jobs for our citizens.
The time for intramural games is over. We cannot govern in a divided fashion and continue to thrive. Our competitors have one goal that cuts across party lines: To replace Atlanta as the economic leader of the Southeast.
The decisions we make today will have a profound impact on the prosperity of the city, region and state for decades. That’s why we support the Transportation Investment Act, which would create jobs and pump $6 billion into the metropolitan region for vital infrastructure improvements. We agree on the necessity of deepening the Savannah port, another job-generating project that would secure Georgia as the logistics hub of the Southeast.
Our bipartisan efforts have yielded concrete results.
Gov. Deal and I brought Porsche North America’s headquarters to Atlanta, a move that adds both jobs and another iconic brand to our region. A recent trip to Washington resulted in a $270 million low-interest loan that will put people back to work and leverage $1 billion in investments for I-75 and the northwest corridor.
Atlanta City Hall stands fewer than 250 steps from the state Capitol, although for years elected officials operated as if the two buildings were worlds apart. Gov. Deal and I are charting a new course, focusing on securing jobs and creating new ones.
Simply put, if we fail to face the threats to our prosperity, we risk a future in which metropolitan Atlanta and Georgia are left behind — outsmarted and outpaced by nimble competitors such as Dallas, Charlotte and Orlando. I will not let that happen on my watch.
Kasim Reed is Atlanta’s mayor.
