Kasim Reed Takes Office Today as Atlanta's 59th Mayor
ATLANTA (AP) — Former Georgia state Sen. Kasim Reed is due to be sworn in as Atlanta's new mayor after a runoff victory last month.
Reed overcame low numbers in early polls to be elected the city's 59th mayor. He will take office Monday. Reed replaces two-term mayor Shirley Franklin, who had to step down because of term limits.
Reed beat city councilwoman Mary Norwood, who would have been the mostly black city's first white mayor in a generation.
Reed says his first priority will be to find money to hire more police officers. He says his administration also will crack down on aggressive panhandling.
The mayor's office is a nonpartisan post, so neither candidate declared a party in the race.
