Former ATL Mayor Kasim Reed officially announces campaign
“Atlanta, tell LA, tell New York, tell Charlotte, tell Dallas, tell Chicago and definitely tell Miami, I’m back.”
The race for mayor of Atlanta continues to raise brows with former Mayor Kasim Reed officially entering the candidate pool.
Shortly after reports came out that the politician and attorney filed paperwork, Reed formally announced his decision to run for his old job, where he served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta from 2010-2018.
“I’m back,” Reed told a cheering crowd as he declared his candidacy for mayor on Thursday evening, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The Howard University graduate celebrated his birthday with a fundraiser, reportedly charging $1,000 per person, as he kicked off his campaign seeking a third term in the mayor’s seat.
Many people around town say they saw this coming after months of rumors preceded his entry into the race. This decision came just weeks after Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced her decision not to run for re-election.
“Atlanta, it’s time to go,” Reed said in a video captured from the event, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Atlanta, tell LA, tell New York, tell Charlotte, tell Dallas, tell Chicago and definitely tell Miami, I’m back.”
Of course, Atlantans and community members took to social media to weigh in on Reed entering the already busy race.
“Alannna gon Alanna,” Instagram user @_chastainlorde wrote on a social media post from Butter ATL.
Butter ATL is a popular culture platform that highlights all things Atlanta. Their post sharing Reed’s bid sparked lots of commentaries, with some folks cracking jokes on the number of candidates in the race.
“Well da&% since EVERYBODY is filing….*reaches for laptop to research how to run for mayor*,” @misterboston3 wrote.
Another person wrote jokingly, “Ok fine, I’ll run for mayor too.”
Others pointed out the increase in crime over the years following Reed’s terms in office.
“All I know is the city wasn’t the wild Wild West when he was mayor and you could leave your home without fear of being shot or robbed,” @bigg_jazz67 wrote.
As theGrio recently reported, Reed’s two terms as mayor were controversial, but he addressed the accusations during a recent sitdown. During a recent interview with WSBTV, he spoke on the Federal case he is linked to and what he thinks Atlanta needs.
“I felt like there are things happening in Atlanta that I’d never seen in my life, and I’ve been here all my life. So that’s what caused me to start talking about it,” Reed said in regards to the uptick in crime in the city.
“I do know how to fix crime, and I do know I could turn our crime environment around in 180 days, and I know that I’ve done it before,” he added.
Members from Reed’s term are under federal investigation after they were linked to a corruption scandal. Reed was never charged but openly took responsibility for anything that happened while he was in office.
“Anything on my watch, I take responsibility for,” said Reed. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it faster, and certainly after what I’ve been through personally, but more importantly what our city was taken through, I would do everything in my power to make sure it didn’t happen again.”
Others candidates in the race include Felicia Moore, Atlanta City Council President; Antonio Brown, Atlanta City Councilman; Andre Dickens, Atlanta City Councilman; and Sharon Gay, Dentons’ attorney.
theGrio’s Keydra Manns contributed to this report.
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