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 Mayor’s Office of Communications
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2016

News Release

Mayor Kasim Reed Response to Bill Torpy's May 26 Column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA – "Today’s Bill Torpy column ('Explainer talk turns into State of Kasim') in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding my May 23 press conference is disappointing in its distortions and its unfairness.

The press conference was called to announce the key appointments of new leaders at two essential city departments: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Department of Watershed Management.

I made clear that I would not discuss the terminations of their predecessors.

Mr. Torpy gets his facts wrong and deliberately misrepresents the tenure of two individuals who led those departments and had their share of success.

There are often holdovers among department heads in any city government when a new Administration takes office. And it is not unusual for a new mayor to replace them with his own appointments. This is a very common practice.

Airport GM Louis Miller, Watershed Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina and Airport GM Miguel Southwell were all appointed after the City conducted national searches.

I hired Ms. Macrina in 2011 to replace an interim commissioner, one year after I took office. Once voted on and confirmed by the Atlanta City Council, the new Watershed Commissioner will be the second of my Administration, not the fourth, as Torpy writes. I do not expect we will read a printed correction of that error in the newspaper soon.

Mr. Miller, who served as the first appointed General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson under my Administration, retired at the end of 2013 at the age of 65.

Once confirmed, the new General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson will be the third of my Administration, not the fourth, as Torpy gets wrong again.

Mr. Torpy also describes Interim General Manager Roosevelt Council as having a 'finance background, not one in operations.' The truth is that Mr. Council has years of experience in transportation logistics and was promoted from his positions as Aviation Deputy General Manager, as well as Chief Financial Officer, of the airport.

Mr. Torpy also speculates about my motivations.

My motivation for holding this press conference was clear: The public deserved to know how we would be moving forward with the leadership of two critical city departments which provide essential services to more than one million metropolitan area residents and millions of visitors.

Atlanta residents deserve competent, effective leadership over these departments. My role as the City’s chief executive is to ensure that every department performs to the highest standards. I will opt for performance over popularity every time.

Despite the fact that Mr. Torpy insists on mischaracterizing my leadership style, the reality is that I have not made any critical personnel decisions without consulting key members of my leadership team and major business and civic leaders.

The Atlanta City Council received a full briefing on these matters, and the council represents Atlantans in a far more substantive way than Torpy could ever claim.

As I stated during the press conference, my administration has always fulfilled its obligation to be transparent. That’s why after the terminations, I called the press conference to assure residents and show taxpayers that they can be confident in their leadership.

If Mr. Torpy wanted an honest conversation about transparency, he would have begun by telling his readers that I directly answered his questions during the press conference. He would have continued by disclosing his own personal motivations for his constant attacks on my Administration.

I understand Mr. Torpy’s strident column is part of his personal and obsessive search for scandal in city government. It’s all about getting the clicks he needs on the newspaper’s website to maintain his employment.

It’s unfortunate in this instance that he does not give the public an accurate and balanced picture of events. AJC readers and Cox Media Group customers deserve better."

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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta. Follow Mayor Reed on Facebook and Twitter @Kasim Reed