ATLANTA — For weeks, there’s been talk that former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed plans to run for mayor.
In his first sit-down interview in three-and-a-half years, Reed answered questions from Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston about City Hall, the federal corruption case and talk that he wants to get back into politics.
He told Huddleston he still needs some time to sort it out, but in their 45-minute conversation, Huddleston said he got the sense it’s just a matter of time before Reed announces he’s running for mayor again.
Reed talks even more about the corruption that happened under his watch. What he had to say and how soon he’ll make a decision about another mayoral run, on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. on Channel 2.
“Are you planning to run for mayor?” Huddleston asked Reed.
“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.
Things like the city’s rising crime rate has affected just about everyone in the city, from Buckhead to Bankhead.
Reed said it’s touched his mother and former mother-in-law.
“My mom goes to that Chick-fil-A in Colony Square, she lives in Colony Square. She went to that Chick-fil-A the day they had a robbery in broad daylight,” Reed said. “Maria’s grandmother was robbed while dropping Maria off.”
“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,” Reed continued.
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But do Atlantans want another four years of Reed as mayor?
“Do you feel like the city needs you to be mayor?” Huddleston asked Reed.
“Fortunately, my ego is smaller, so I’m not approaching it that way,” Reed said.
Reed ran Atlanta for eight years, taking over in 2010 after the U.S. economy had crumbled.
But like a phoenix, Atlanta rose to some of the most prosperous years in its history. But there were problems.
Federal investigators have indicted six members of his staff, including his deputy chief, tarnishing a roaring record with city contractors and employees heading to federal court.
“Anything on my watch, I take responsibility for,” Reed said. “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.”
For four years, the feds have investigated but Reed hasn’t been charged with a crime.
“Are you under investigation?” Huddleston asked Reed.
“The Justice Department under William Barr has looked into every aspect of my life for more than three years and took no action,” Reed said.
Reed said he’s already received financial commitments if he runs for mayor.
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