Crime, education, infrastructure atop Mayor Reed’s second-term agenda

• Joeff Davis
• Mayor Kasim Reed is sworn in for his second term as mayor of Atlanta.

Mayor Kasim Reed today was sworn into office and shed light on upcoming efforts to reduce crime, rebuild Atlanta’s infrastructure, help boost education, and create more affordable housing during his second and final term at City Hall.

On a brisk morning, Reed, Atlanta City Councilmembers, and Municipal Court judges were sworn in at the Atlanta Civic Center. After the mayor briefly trumpeted his administration’s accomplishments since 2014 - overhauling employee pensions, improving the city’s finances, and growing the police force - he discussed his plans for the next four years.

“Today I stand here with an equal sense of excitement and enthusiasm as I begin my second term as Mayor of our capital city,” Reed said.

He’s promised to “double down” on public safety and reduce crime by 25 percent over the next four years. That would ideally include, he said, extra help from Fulton and DeKalb counties and having a “meaningful conversation” with Fulton County about using the Atlanta City Jail to help solve recidivism problems.

“We must say to criminals, ‘If you put the gun down, we’ll put a book in your hands, we’ll put some work and a job in your hands, we’ll put a paycheck in your hands. We’ll work with you to put your future back in your hands,’” he said.

Reed said the areas surrounding Turner Field and Fort McPherson would be redeveloped into neighborhoods that offer more affordable housing options to Atlantans. He also stressed that the city’s school system needed to rebound and become a “center of excellence in public education.” That effort would start, he said, with choosing the next Atlanta Public Schools superintendent and sending more public school graduates to college with the potential help of the city’s philanthropic community.

“I want to help lead this city to a point where the phrase ‘educated in Atlanta’ is a statement of admiration spoken across America,” Reed said.

In addition, Reed echoed his plan to chip away at the city’s nearly $1 billion infrastructure backlog. Over the next year, he said the city would prepare to issue between $150 to $250 million in bonds without increasing taxes. He added that the metro region would need to move past T-SPLOST’s failures with a “smaller, more modest” solution to the area’s transit woes.

The gala affair cost approximately $250,000, according to Reed spokeswoman Anne Torres. She notes that’s less than the the festivities surrounding his first oath of office four years ago. Atlanta-based corporate sponsors Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, and the Atlanta Falcons were among the biggest contributors to the events.

• Joeff Davis
• Mayor Kasim Reed kisses his mother after being sworn in as Mayor of Atlanta.

CL’s Joeff Davis was on hand to take photos. We’ve included more of his pictures and an embedded copy of Reed’s prepared speech after the jump:

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• Joeff Davis
• Charles Doyle and Fanning Cumberlander came to the inauguration decked out in furs. The ceremony took place on one of the coldest days in recent memory.
  

• Joeff Davis
• Master of Ceremony Bill Nigut, a senior executive producer at Georgia Public Broadcasting, takes a photograph of the crowd while Mistress of Ceremony Brenda Wood, an 11 Alive evening anchor, looks on.

• Joeff Davis
• Some members of the Atlanta City Council raise their hands while being sworn into office.

• Joeff Davis
• The crowd at the Atlanta Civic Center during the Inaugural program.

• Joeff Davis
• Mayor Kasim Reed makes a face as former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell makes a reference to the city’s traffic during his speech.

• Joeff Davis
• Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and Kasim Reed mentor remembers the mayor at age 19 having “more courage than he had sense” during his speech at the inauguration.

• Joeff Davis
• Mayor Kasim Reed smiles during his remarks after being sworn in as Mayor of Atlanta.

• Joeff Davis
• Mayor Kasim Reed received a standing ovation when he spoke about the need to give criminals books and jobs if they’re willing to step away from violence.

• Joeff Davis
• The Howard University Choir sings at the end of the ceremony.