Photo: Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com
Atlantans got out the vote yesterday and ushered in a new mayor who has the best interests of the local entertainment industry at heart!
Kasim Reed didn’t win by a landslide over his opponent Mary Norwood, but he got enough votes to win the runoff election even though a recount is still likely.
In fact, Kasim’s win margin is so slim that Norwood has not yet conceded defeat. But she will.
“It is my hope tonight that we will unite this city and make Atlanta the city shining on a hill,” Reed told about 300 supporters at the Hyatt Regency. “Tomorrow we have hard work to do to make Atlanta the best city in America.”
Kasim says his first priority as Mayor of the city of Atlanta is to find a new police chief to replace the outgoing chief who resigned under fire last week.
Reed is seeking a police chief with experience in dealing with gangs. “I believe that Atlanta has a growing gang problem that we’re not confronting enough in an aggressive enough way,” said Reed.
Reed also plans to repeal the controversial 2:30 a.m. nightclub curfew that was put in place to combat the violence and murders outside nightclubs in Buckhead a few years ago. The curfew drove club owners outside the city limits where bartenders could pour liquor all night long.
Reed, a 40-year-old single attorney, also intends to hire 750 new police officers to bolster the 1,600 man police department that has come under fire recently for prolonged delays responding to emergency 911 calls.
Reed served as the campaign manager in Shirley Franklin’s successful election campaign to become the 58th Mayor of Atlanta. On May 21, 2009, Reed caused controversy in Atlanta’s GLBT community when he stated that he supported civil unions for gays, but not gay marriage.
