Former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed joined the V103 Big Tigger Morning Show Friday to kick off his campaign for a third term leading the city.
Reed filed paperwork to run Tuesday.
"I look forward to having a conversation for the next five months with the people of Atlanta," Reed told hosts Darian "Big Tigger" Morgan, Tylerchronicles, & Christina "Ms. Basketball" Granville. He said their show was the right place to start.
Reed was just 40 when he was first elected mayor in 2010. He went on to serve two terms.
During his conversation with the Big Tigger Morning Show, Reed, an attorney and Howard University graduate, emphasized Atlanta's successes during his tenure as mayor. When he was in office, crime rates were at a 40-year low, the city's credit rating got better, the Atlanta motion picture industry grew and the city's population grew, he said.
Despite his successes, Reed left office amid controversy stemming from a federal corruption investigation that resulted in bribery convictions for members of his administration, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
If he is elected again, Reed said he would work every day to make sure the mistakes of his old term are not repeated. To do this, he plans to create an ethics council and to have strict guidelines for who can serve in his administration.
"I think Atlanta is a tapestry and right now that tapestry is really at risk," Reed told show hosts.
Another topic Reed addressed during the interview was affordable housing.
In response to a listener question, Reed said he plans to use city land for new housing and that he wants to make sure affordable housing units are filled before going up to market rate. He also mentioned a property tax relief program aimed at preventing displacement.
"I feel like for me, it's really a call of the heart," said Reed of his decision to run.
Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore and attorney Sharon Gay are also running for mayor, as well as Council members Antonio Brown and Andre Dickens, according to the Atlanta Journal register. Current mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced last month she would not seek reelection.
