What a year it has been for Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed: the Falcons and Braves stadiums, election battles, support for the port of Savannah, and Atlanta’s streetcar project — the list goes on.
As the final year of his first term winds down, here’s a look back at the ups and downs of Reed’s administration, and the issues for which only time will tell how well he fared.
HIGHS
Elections: After barely winning his first term against challenger Mary Norwood in 2009, Reed had few serious challengers in his second bid for mayor and sailed to victory this fall with 86 percent of the vote. He also backed a number of candidates who were re-elected to the City Council and Atlanta school board. The elections weren't entirely rosy for Reed, who also saw a few of his picks lose key races, but more on that later.
Atlanta Falcons stadium: Reed took on the controversial Falcons stadium issue, pushing legislation to approve $200 million in bonds backed by hotel-motel taxes for the construction of the $1.2 billion arena. In the deal, Reed also negotiated a commitment from Falcons owner Arthur Blank to finance up to $70 million in infrastructure improvements. He then successfully secured the stadium on his preferred site, located near Northside and Martin Luther King drives, despite the team indicating a preference for a northern location.
Whether the stadium delivers on the promise of revitalizing the impoverished communities surrounding it remains to be seen and could impact Reed’s legacy.
Port of Savannah: Reed has been among the most vocal and influential cheerleaders for the Savannah port expansion, standing shoulder to shoulder with Vice President Joe Biden and Republican state leaders in a bid to receive federal funding for the dredging project. The U.S. House and Senate each have passed water resources bills authorizing the project to begin at a price tag of more than $600 million. Congress is now reconciling the two pieces of legislation before a bill heads to the president to sign. Next up? Waiting to see just how much money the feds deliver.
Money, money and more money: Reed successfully secured federal funding for a variety of Atlanta projects in 2013, including an $18 million transportation grant for the Atlanta Beltline. The city government also recently became a Federal Transit Administration grant designee, which means Atlanta can compete against agencies like MARTA and the Georgia Department of Transportation for federal funding for endeavours such as the streetcar.
LOWS
Elections: Reed pumped thousands of dollars into the toughest races on the City Council and school board with little return.
The mayor was a strong advocate of Councilman Aaron Watson and embattled Councilman H. Lamar Willis, an attorney who was disbarred this year after depositing funds intended for a client into his own banking account. Both lost their seats in the election — Watson to Reed’s former challenger, Norwood, and Willis to newcomer Andre Dickens, a Shirley Franklin ally. Reed also spent thousands in a failed attempt to oust District 9 Councilwoman Felicia Moore with political unknown Ricardo Mosby.
Reed, who donated at least $75,000 to a Super PAC also backed by local CEOs to shape election outcomes, saw a couple of preferred candidates for the school board lose election bids this fall — Brenda Muhammad and board Chairman Reuben McDaniel. It’s too early to tell how well the new board — on which six of nine members will be new — will work with the mayor.
The Atlanta Braves: Reed has said the team's departure for Cobb County isn't a loss for Atlanta, but it surely isn't a win. The Braves were in talks with city officials for a year and a half over Turner Field lease renewal and redevelopment efforts when the team announced a $672 million deal with Cobb. Reed said the city couldn't afford more than $150 million to $250 million the Braves wanted in improvements. A review of hundreds of emails, and interviews with city and Braves officials, makes two points clear: The team wanted more attention from City Hall, especially as the Falcons stadium deal progressed, and the Braves and city officials clashed over how much control the baseball club could have in redeveloping land around Turner Field because of conflict of interest laws.
Sales tax negotiations: Atlanta saw its share of local option sales tax revenue fall by nearly $6 million annually after Fulton County and north Fulton city leaders forged a coalition to force Atlanta to accept a smaller cut. Reed hoped to resolve the issue, which reduces Atlanta's take of the tax revenue to $96 million annually, in an arbitration process, but the plan was dashed when the state Supreme Court struck down that option in October.
TIME WILL TELL
Reed — who many expect to run for governor in 2018 — urged fellow Democrats to leave the 2014 gubernatorial race alone and focus instead on Democrat Michelle Nunn’s bid to become a U.S. senator. But then came state Sen. Jason Carter’s announcement that he’s entered the race in a bid to unseat Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, a Reed ally. Carter’s arrival forces the mayor to choose between supporting Deal or his party.
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