Top Ten Signs It’s Time For Kasim Reed To Give Up Hope (Reasons 6-10)

Over the next few weeks, I will offer a running list of my TOP 10 REASONS why Kasim Reed should give up trying to be re-elected. If Reed faces A FORMIDABLE OPPONENT, each of my Top 10 Reasons will be central questions to Reed’s re-election.

Here are listed reasons 6-10.

Reason Number 10: 

Atlanta Public Schools

Reed will try to run from this disaster but any viable candidate will place APS at his feet.

As the largest cheating scandal in American history unfolded, Reed stood with Beverley Hall and IN OPPOSITION TO the board members who were challenging Hall’s policies and strategies.

Reed defended Beverly Hall until the end

Reed publically defended Beverley Hall and POLITICALLY DESTROYED the greenhorn board chairman who single-handedly stood up to Hall.

Watch this speech and know that the “who” being discussed is a direct reference to Kasim Reed. Reed will not be able to run from this. Watch This Video

Reason Number 9: 
Atlanta Workforce Development Agency

Reed was repeatedly funneling campaign supporters and “politically connected” dreck (including relatives of city council members) to AWDA for “no show” jobs.

All Hell broke loose when the professional staff tried to push back on the questionable allocation of federal grant dollars.

In turn, Reed’s chief of staff, Candace Byrd, blew up during a cabinet meeting and publically humiliated the highly regarded executive of AWDA. 

The AWDA executive was ostensibly suspended for granted a routine media interview but it was made clear to everyone in the meeting that if anyone refused to “play ball” they too would suffer retaliation. Watch this video

Reason Number 8: 
“Hell Hath No Fury…”

Ms. Langford

The last three years have introduced Atlanta’s City Hall Observers to Kasim Reed’s relationships with Ms. Langford, Ms. Whittaker, and Ms. Rohadfox. 

For different reasons, each of these associations is volatile and they likely mean sleepless nights for Reed as he worries about what happens when the details (sometimes sordid) are made public.

But Atlantans learned this recently something more precarious about the Bachelor-In-Chief’s peccadillos. The greatest danger to Reed’s reelection may come not from those he has kept close but rather from those he’s “cut off.”

Reed has already seen the short-term impact from one he has, proverbially, kicked to the curb, notably the so-called “The Booty Bundler,” Stacii Jae Johnson.

Ms. Whittaker is third from the right.

While driving a high-priced, white, “loaner” Porsche on the 75/85 Connector in late August, The Booty Bundler was arrested for DUI, resisting arrest, and a variety of other infractions. 

It’s still undisclosed who “loaned” the vehicle or why the vehicle was being loaned to the mayor’s “Entertainment Director.”  

(However, the Porsche company was recently seeking to have an Atlanta street renamed after its founder).

Before last month’s brush with the law, Jae was best known for “bundling” fund-raising checks for politicians and for staring in a “stripper” video; hence the nickname, “The Booty Bundler.”

“The Booty Bundler” -- Stacii Jae Johnson

Now, that would be bad enough under any circumstance. But... 

In DC, Ms. Jae is referred to as “Obama’s Booty Bundler” because she was bundling campaign contributions for Obama’s reelection campaign while working for Reed (see the story here).

“(Kasim Reed) is sleeping with lThese DC headlines certainly contributed to the stiffing (in a manner of speaking) Reed got from the President’s reelection campaign when it barred him from the podium in Charlotte during the Democratic Party’s nominating convention. Reed is the first Atlanta mayor in nearly 40 years not to address the Democratic National Convention.

Oh, but it gets worse for Reed…

Atlanta’s own “TMZ-styled” celebrity gossip web site, Lipstick Alley, reported that The Booty Bundler is gaining revenge on her former boss, presumably because Reed did not protect her from arrest or termination.

Ms. Rohadfox

According to the web site: ike 4 chicks in his cabinet and they all think he is going wife them. Staci Jae was at a party saying she had the Mayor in check and then drove drunk and was forced to resign, His communications director divorced her husband as did Jovita Moore. He has them trained like a ****.”

So while Kasim has to keep an eye on the relationships he maintains, he also has to worry about those he has dispose of.

Reason Number 7: 
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

During the city election that swept Kasim Reed into the mayor’s office with a surging 700 vote margin, many predicted that older brother Tracy Reed‘s sensitive position at the Atlanta Airport (in which he oversaw who was eligible to bid on contracts) would lead to misdeeds and Kasim Reed’s political downfall.

Ironically, it was Tracy’s drive to his airport job that would draw attention to Kasim Reed’s otherwise behind-the-scenes older brother.

While driving a car owned by controversial city vendor Darrell Anderson, Tracy Reed was pulled over for an ordinary speeding violation but he was found to be driving without a valid driver’s license and to be a verifiable fugitive with an outstanding arrest warrant.

Darrell Anderson

Like any other citizen, Tracy promptly flipped the police officer his city business card and an APD major appeared on the scene within moments. Despite an active arrest warrant and the speeding violation, Tracy was released and no speeding ticket was issued.

When presented with these facts by a local media outlet, Kasim Reed directed the Atlanta Police Department to investigate how the reporter acquired the dashboard video. 

At the same time, another city employee faced retaliation from Reed’s senior staff for cooperating with yet another media investigation into Tracy Reed’s improper use of city credit cards.

(b/t/w, senior Reed officials seem to have a proclivity for driving cars loaned to them by people who are doing business with the city – see Reason Number 8: ”Hell Hath No Fury…” above where I write how the so-called Booty Bundler was driving a Porsche on loan to her as the car company was seeking to have an Atlanta street renamed after its founder).

As the airport concession protests and court cases twist through the processes, Tracy’s role at the airport is coming to light. The older brother’s fingerprints are on too much and there is too much time before the reelection to keep it all under wraps.

Kasim, I’d think long and hard whether revelations about Tracy’s activities are in your best interest. 

Reason Number 6: 

“Centers of Nope”

Atlanta city hall is plagued with a flailing vision, reckless personal behavior, and egregious management decisions. We’ll share one contemptible example.

(b/t/w it would be garish to share the details of chief-of-staff Candace Byrd’s tête-à-tête with a member of the traveling security detail during the recent China visit -- *wink, wink* -- so we’ll let it go for now).

Candace Byrd

One gaping hole in Reed’s reelection prospects is found in his so-called signature policy: “Centers For Hope.”

The poorly conceptualized, operationalized, and managed program, it turns out, has resulted in a city that is more dangerous for working-class and low-income children than any time in the last 25 years.

Whether you examine the multiple occasions: 

• Atlanta Rec Center has lost Southside children
• How Atlanta’s Southside neighborhoods have become too dangerous for children to walk to and from school, or
• How Reed has downplayed a child molestation case at one of its Southside city-run pools

the pattern is well-defined.

Reed will argue that a city as large and diverse as Atlanta, cannot assure taxpayers that the children will be safe. He certainly will make some variation of that argument during his reelection campaign.

Yvonne Yancey

What Reed cannot defend, however, is how he and his hirelings have managed these tragedies.

There is no denying that if any of the incidents had occurred anywhere but the Southside then Reed’s reaction would have been much different. 

Instead, Reed and his staff assume that working-class people are ill-informed or uninterested and therefore are not entitled to answers. 

Reed and his people did their best to sweep these problems under the rug.

In one case, for example, Reed’s hand-picked aide, Yvonne Yancey, protected a political ally who is said to have impeded a child molestation probe. 

For nearly a year after a four-year-old was abused at a Southside city pool, Atlanta taxpayers paid a politically connected ally of Reed’s more than $80,000 for a “no show” job at the Atlanta Recreation Department.

It was only when the offending employee sought a high-profile political position in New Orleans that Reed’s Dirty Little Secret came to light.

When a New Orleans newspaper reporter called the city of Atlanta and was told by an Atlanta city spokeswoman  that “(the employee) is no longer with the city” the story didn't add up for the reporter because the employee had listed the city of Atlanta as her employer on job applications and the employee had continued to receive a full-time salary for eleven months after the offense.

George Dusenbury

Yancey was forced to step in to “correct” the record with the reporter. In fact, Yancey went as far as to write “glowing recommendation” for Reed’s political ally. The letter of Recommendation was on City of Atlanta letterhead was later used in pursuit of the position in New Orleans.

Months after the fact and after Reed lost control of crisis, the commissioner of the city parks department George Dusenbury was scapegoated and suspended without pay for “failure to timely report allegations of sexual abuse.”

It’s said that “the fish rots from the head down.” What’s clear is if you live on the Southside then you’re at the bottom and it’s all rotten.