Kasim Reed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kasim Reed
|
|
|---|---|
Reed in 2011
|
|
| 57th Mayor of Atlanta | |
| In office January 3, 2010 – January 2, 2018 |
|
| Preceded by | Shirley Franklin |
| Succeeded by | Keisha Lance Bottoms |
| Member of the Georgia Senate from the 35th district |
|
| In office January 13, 2003 – September 1, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Donzella James |
| Succeeded by | Donzella James |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 52nd district |
|
| In office January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Henrietta Canty |
| Succeeded by | Fran Millar |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mohammed Kasim Reed
June 10, 1969 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Howard University (AB, JD) |
Mohammed Kasim Reed (born June 10, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2010 to 2018. Atlanta is Georgia's capital and largest city.
A member of the Democratic Party, Reed was part of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002. He then represented the 35th District in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2009. He also managed Shirley Franklin's successful campaign to become Atlanta's mayor in 2001. After Franklin could not run again due to term limits, Reed successfully ran for mayor in 2009. He started his term on January 4, 2010, and was elected for a second term in 2013.
In 2014, Reed announced his marriage to Sarah-Elizabeth Langford. Two months later, his office announced the birth of their daughter. Divorce proceedings began in 2019.
On June 10, 2021, Reed announced he was running for another term as Atlanta's mayor in the 2021 election. He finished third in the November election and did not move on to the runoff election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kasim Reed was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. His family moved to Fulton County, Georgia, when he was a baby. His family belonged to the United Methodist Church. His father had thought about becoming a Muslim and named his son Mohammed Kasim. This surprised his minister grandfather.
Reed went to Utoy Springs Elementary School and Westwood High School in Fulton County. Westwood High School is now called Westlake High School. Based on a DNA test, he believes he is a descendant of the Igbo people from Nigeria.
Studying at Howard University
Reed attended Howard University in Washington, D.C.. He graduated in 1991 with a degree in political science.
In 1989, students at Howard University protested. They were upset that Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater was on the university's board. They felt he had caused "growing anti-black feelings in America." Atwater later resigned from the board. Reed did not agree with the students' actions. He thought it was good for the Republican Party to try to get votes from Black students. He felt it would have been better if Atwater had met with the students. This way, Atwater might have learned more about their views. For example, he "might have gained insight into a generation of students portrayed as destitute and in need of more federal support." Reed pointed out that 85 percent of Howard's 12,000 students received federal aid.
Reed was an early entrepreneur. By 1989, he had earned $40,000 from a jewelry business he started at age sixteen. In 1990, he was asked to talk about the Persian Gulf War military buildup on the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. Also, in November of that year, he was featured in Black Enterprise magazine.
While in college, Reed worked as an intern for Congressman Joseph Patrick Kennedy II. During his internship, he learned about a federal dollar-for-dollar matching grant program. In his senior year, as an undergraduate trustee on the university's board, he started a $15-per-semester student fee increase. This fee would be matched by the federal grant. The money was set aside for the university's endowment. The fees were expected to bring in almost $300,000 per semester. This estimate was low, as it only assumed fees from a little over 75% of the 12,000 students. Over four years, this would add about $2.4 million to the endowment.
Reed earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1991. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law in 1995. In 2002, Reed was appointed as the youngest general trustee to serve on Howard's board. He continues to serve on that board.
Legal Career
After finishing law school, Reed joined the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. Later, he became a partner at Holland & Knight LLP. Both of these are international law firms with offices in Atlanta.
Political Career
Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives
Henrietta Canty was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 52nd district. She served from 1975–80 and again from 1990–98. She resigned in 1998 to run for Georgia State Insurance Commissioner. Seven candidates ran for her seat in the July 21, 1998, Democratic primary election. Reed received the most votes, with 36.6%. He finished well ahead of Horace Mann Bond and Eric V. Thomas, who were second and third. This led to a head-to-head runoff election on August 11. Reed won this runoff with 60.6% of the vote against Horace Mann Bond II. Reed then ran unopposed in the November 3 general election and won the Assembly seat.
Reed ran for re-election in 2000. He was challenged by Clarence Canty, Henrietta Canty's son. Reed won the July 18, 2000, Democratic primary by a large margin, with 77.0% of the vote. In the November 7, 2000, general election, he ran unopposed. In the House of Representatives, he represented a mostly African-American area in south Atlanta. Reed served on the House Judiciary, Education, and Congressional and Legislative Reapportionment Committees.
While in office, in 2001, Reed managed Shirley Franklin's successful campaign to become the 58th mayor of Atlanta. During this election, which happened after the September 11 attacks, he checked how voters felt about the campaign's TV ads. Some ads were thought to be too sensitive at the time. After winning the election, Franklin chose Reed as one of two co-chairs for her transition team. In this role, he was in charge of finding and reviewing candidates for cabinet-level jobs.
For the 2000 election, House District 52 was entirely within Fulton County. After the ten-year redistricting, the 52nd district was entirely within DeKalb County for the November 5, 2002, election. That election was won by Fran Millar.
Serving in the Georgia State Senate
In 2000, the 35th Georgia State Senate District was entirely in Fulton County. State Senator Donzella James was the only Democrat running in the November 7 general election. In 2002, Senator James, who had served four terms, left her seat. She ran against David Scott and others for the Georgia's 13th congressional district. This district was created after the 2000 census, when Georgia gained two new congressional districts.
When Reed first ran for election in the 35th state senate district in the 2002 Democratic primary, it included 19 precincts in Douglas County, Georgia, and 333 in Fulton County. The district covers the southern part of Fulton County (including Atlanta, Alpharetta, College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Mountain Park, Palmetto, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Union City). It also includes the northeast part of Douglas County (including Douglasville, and Lithia Springs). Reed won the district's five-way primary on August 20, 2002, with 65.8% of the vote. He then ran unopposed in the November 5, 2002, general election.
In 2004, James challenged Reed for the seat she had held before him. However, he won the July 20, 2004, Democratic primary election by a 58.8%–41.2% margin. He ran unopposed in the November 2, 2004, general election. He also ran unopposed in his 2006 and 2008 primary and general elections.
In January 2006, Reed introduced a bill. This bill would allow schools to teach from the textbook The Bible and Its Influence. This book was created by the non-partisan Bible Literacy Project. This bill came a few years after Democrats had opposed Republicans trying to promote teaching a translation of the Bible. Reed's bill was an attempt to prevent Republicans from trying to display the Ten Commandments in schools. Faith is an area where Georgia Democrats often have different views from the national party. The bill passed in the State Senate by a 50–1 vote on February 3. It eventually became law.
Reed's committee assignments included the Senate Judiciary Committee, Special Judiciary Committee, Ethics Committee, Transportation Committee, and the State and Local Government Operations Committee. He also served as vice-chairman of the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus. He was also chairman of the Georgia Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In addition, he was a partner at Holland & Knight LLP. Before that, he worked in the music industry for Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP.
Becoming Mayor of Atlanta
A month before the February 5, 2008, Super Tuesday Georgia Democratic primary, Reed supported Barack Obama. In March 2008, Reed announced a committee called ONE Atlanta. This committee would explore if he could be a candidate in the 2009 Atlanta mayoral election. The current Mayor, Franklin, could not run again because of term limits. Reed's announcement about his committee also said he would go on a tour to build support, similar to what Hillary Clinton did. During the summer of 2008, ONE Atlanta announced that the exploratory committee had become a formal campaign committee.
On September 1, Reed resigned from the Georgia Senate to run for mayor. No candidate won a majority in the November 3 general election. Donzella James defeated Torrey O. Johnson in the runoff election on December 1 to replace Reed in the Senate.
In the November 3, 2009, election, Reed qualified for a December 1 runoff election against Mary Norwood. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reed had a winning majority in the runoff election. It seemed like the results would be challenged by a recount. The New York Times said the race was too close to call. With 98 to 99 percent of the votes counted, Reed was leading by only 620 out of 84,000 votes. On December 9, after a recount was finished, Reed was declared the winner by 714 votes. After this, Mary Norwood officially accepted the results. Reed took office on January 4, 2010.
Thomas Friedman praised Reed in The New York Times. He said Reed balanced the city's budget by limiting the pensions of city employees. This money was then spent on the police force and on community centers in poorer neighborhoods. It was not used to reverse the 42% increase in property taxes that happened in 2009. Friedman praised Reed for "combining a soft touch with a hard head."
Reed announced his campaign for re-election as mayor on August 26, 2013. He was elected to a second term on November 5, 2013.
Policy Positions
Georgia State Flag
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
Since the 1990s, the official State Flag of Georgia had been a topic of debate. This was because it included the historic Confederate flag from the American Civil War. Some people felt this flag symbolized resistance to cultural changes in the state. After changes were made to the flag in 2001 to remove this symbol, Governor of Georgia Roy Barnes, who led the flag redesign, lost his re-election. Many believed this was due to political backlash. The 1956 version, with the Confederate States of America battle emblem (a St. Andrew's cross), continued to be a topic of discussion for those who valued Southern heritage.
Reed served as one of Governor Sonny Perdue's main leaders in the discussions. These discussions led to the approval of the current (2003) version of the state flag. Reed's leadership helped make a deal with Senate Republicans. This deal kept the 1956 version of the flag off Perdue's statewide referendum on the flag in 2003. The referendum was originally planned to have two parts. It would have asked voters to choose between the 2001 flag and a proposed new version. If the new flag was not approved, other designs, including the controversial 1956 version, could have been considered. Reed and a group of Black lawmakers from Atlanta limited the referendum to a single vote. This vote was only to choose between the 2003 version and the 2001 version.
Support for Marriage Equality
In December 2012, Kasim Reed announced his support for marriage equality for same-sex couples.
In June 2015, Reed praised the Supreme Court's decision that made same-sex marriage legal. He ordered Atlanta City Hall to be lit in rainbow colors to celebrate. He called it "a momentous victory for freedom, equality, and love."
Transportation Investment Tax
Along with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, Reed strongly supported a campaign for a transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax. This tax would have added a 1% local sales tax for ten years, from 2013 to 2022. The money would have funded projects to improve transportation. Reed said that if the referendum passed, it would create jobs and reduce traffic in the city. He also said that "failing to pass the measure would be economically damaging" for Atlanta. However, the proposal was defeated in a referendum. Reed stated that he would "work with opponents on the next plan to ease congestion."
Awards and Recognition
Mayor Reed's leadership and service have been recognized across the country. He has been featured in publications like the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Ebony, and Black Enterprise. In 2001, Georgia Trend magazine named him one of their "40 under 40 Rising Stars." He was also named one of "10 Outstanding Atlantans" by Outstanding Atlanta. He was a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2000 and a board member of the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund. In 2011, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oglethorpe University.
In 2017, the Atlanta Hawks basketball team retired the jersey number 59 in honor of Reed. He was involved with the team throughout his time as mayor.
Images for kids
-
1920–1956 state flag
-
1956–2001 state flag
-
2001–2003 state flag
-
2003 – current state flag
.svg)
See also
- List of mayors of the largest 50 US cities
