Reed Plans Additional Trips to DC

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Mayor Elect Kasim Reed says he plans to go back to Washington DC to lobby for stimulus dollars at least twice before the year ends. Reed hopes that the trips will help to fund expensive development projects in the city, like the proposed Peachtree Streetcar.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

Reed just visited the nation's capital last week, where he met with several members of the Obama Administration. He described the meetings as "get-to-know-you" one-on-ones, that would hopefully lay the groundwork quickly for some monetary returns.

REED: Until we know one another, can pick up the telephone and call one another, then Atlanta is not going to compete for, and get its fair share, of literally billions of stimulus dollars that are being spent right now, a great deal of which we have not been a part of.

Reed hopes that the meetings will put Atlanta on Washington officials' radars as cities all over the country compete for federal dollars.

He says in addition to defraying the cost of the $300 million streetcar project, he hopes Atlanta will win money to fund additional police.

Odette Yousef, WABE News.