Reed unloads on Common Cause over airport vendor process

The Atlanta City Council has taken a break from what's looking like a marathon session for dinner. Considering the events just before the body adjourned, well, that was a good thing.

After hours of wonkish discussion over which restaurants or retail shops should be allowed to conduct business in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Mayor Kasim Reed took the mic and proceeded to throw punches.

His target: Common Cause, one of the city's most vocal critics in the ongoing airport concessions contract, a multi-billion dollar program considered one of the largest in U.S. history.

"I've been taking this for three weeks, listening to this stuff," said the mayor, who earlier today said that tonight's vote was the "biggest vote of my career." "This ain't right."

Reed said that the good government watchdog group's executive director accepted campaign contributions during previous runs for Atlanta City Council and Atlanta Public Schools and that its members had also accepted campaign cash.

"The level of hypocrisy is stunning," Reed said. "Common Cause has so much stain on it it stinks."