Thursday, January 19, 2012
Guv'ment Reed: Atlanta is about winning
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 5:09 PM
- Joeff Davis
- Brought to you by Coke!
Acting as emcee, Coke CEO Muhtar Ken introduced a slick, five-minute video his company had produced about Reed that was so hagiographic the mayor could simply edit it down into campaign commercials and save a ton of money. With WSB anchor Monica Pearson doing the voice-over honors (conflict-of-interest alert!), the video featured glowing testimonials to Reed's leadership from honchos at Delta, the Council for Quality Growth, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and others.
Then Hizzoner himself took the stage to tout his accomplishments: lower crime; more cops; $94 million in cash reserves; 900 children served weekly at the city's "Centers of Hope"; and a budget-busting pension crisis averted.
Over the course of the next 35 minutes, he also revealed some interesting insights and factoids about himself:
• If you want to understand the mayor's approach toward governing, grab a copy of Instruction to Deliver, a 2007 book by a British policy guru who brought modern management techniques to Tony Blair's government. The book instructs elected officials to first take care of the basics — crime,
potholes, etc. — before asking voters to support bigger, riskier initiatives.
• Reed loves chicken; in a pinch, Popeye's will do.
• The mayor cares more about winning than Charlie Sheen. Among this morning's sound-bites: "We will choose to be first again" and "Bet on the city of Atlanta." Listen to they= guy for five minutes and you'll realize that, not only is he intensely competitive and plays to win, but that he's always looking forward to future challenges. Where Shirley Franklin aimed to fix the sewers and make Atlanta one of the best-managed cities, Reed has ambitions to make the city the undisputed commercial, tourism and cultural capital of the Southeast — in part, by crushing the likes of Charlotte, Charleston and anyone else who threatens our dominance. You can call it ego or over-aggro, but we're lucky he's on our side.
The mayor also unveiled two initiatives whose significance will be determined over the next few months. For one, the Atlanta Development Authority, which has largely been focused on doling out tax incentives to developers, is now to be known asInvest Atlanta, with a mission to encourage economic development. We'll be writing more about this in coming weeks.
Also, building on the public-private Hire One campaign, Reed demonstrated a new iPhone app to show the nearest job openings. Sweeping the phone across the crowded ballroom at the Georgia World Congress Center, he said, "I see there are jobs available at Starbucks and … McDonalds." Hmm, I can only hope the results are less depressing in a different part of town.
Finally, Reed told us he plans to spend more time out of the office in an effort to win jobs, new businesses and more federal dollars for the city. Sometime today, he and Gov. Deal are again flying to D.C. to meet with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to discuss the Savannah port project. In March, the mayor will be leading a week-long trade mission to China. (You can go along, too, if you've got a spare $3,700.) PDF
The speech seemed quite well-received by the city's business leaders. The love affair continues.
Comments (7)
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Gwinnett based Council for Quality Growth think they are listed in Miriam Webster under the word OXYMORON.
Well good luck to the Mayor though according to many in Georgia and some posting here the City of Atlanta isn't a draw so maybe instead of Reed the mayor of Alpharetta should head up the effort crush Charlotte.
atlanta should be the second best city on the east coast. why isnt it? i cant wait for the response from chuckie/eric pfeiffer. i'm sure they'll blame the civil war or some crap.....
Atlanta has a hell of long way to go before it's even the 3rd or 4th best city on the east coast....sorry, it's true.
Best City? It has one of the worst economies! 196/200 major economies;
"i cant wait for the response from chuckie/eric pfeiffer. i'm sure they'll blame the civil war or some crap....."
don't drag me into this asshole, i could give a shit about local politics
Will Atlanta EVER elect a mayor that understands the simple fact that the number 1 way for Atlanta (the city) to be a draw for businesses and people is to make it efficient, safe and attractive.
All of Reed's over-sized ambitions and globe trotting combined will not accomplish what a simple beautification program for downtown, for example, would accomplish. It ain't rocket science!
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