Buckhead Donates $70k for Kasim Reed’s Campaign

The Atlanta mayoral election isn't until 2013, but this year alone, incumbent Kasim Reed has raised $70,000 from individuals, businesses and other organizations from the Buckhead area.

That's more than one in every 10 dollars that Reed has gotten in campaign donations in 2011.

Nationally, he has raised $640,000 in campaign donations, according to the latest filing to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.

Major law and lobby firms are in the business of watching politics closely and elections early. Plenty of their partners and principals live in Buckhead and send donations from home. Four people associated with McKenna Long and Aldridge and sent nearly $4,000.

Also among the residents, a few couples tied to familiar businesses — and Atlanta Bread Co. — have already maxed out their giving: $2,500 per individual.

Lobbying firm GovLink already hit the cap as well. The $2,500 limit applies to all businesses, organizations and individuals.

There's also a Political Action Committee in Buckhead, the Metro Non-Partisan Committee for Good Government. It's associated with Post Properties and donated $500.

Georgia's campaign finance law requires candidates to itemize every donation that totals more than $100. All smaller donations can be lumped together. Reed's lump of such little donations comes to about $3,000.

This year's donations bring Reed's campaign fund up to $3.4 million dollars.

Nearly one out of every five Reed campaign dollars this year come from out of state: people, law firms and companies have sent that much. And many of those donations are clustered around Washington, D.C.

But if Reed ever thinks of trying for a job up there, the Washington money does no immediate good. All the donations are sent to a Reed 2013 mayoral campaign. State law bars the money from any other race that Reed may join, though the monies can be sent to the Democratic Party, or to a PAC to parcel out to other candidates.

Reed's receipts are split about 60-40 between individual people and businesses or organizations. Though CEOs and the like who love the mayor can and often do donate the maximum both individually and via their company.

Reed must file his next disclosure with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission for the second half of 2011 in early 2012.

The top Buckhead donors were:

• Air Serv Corp., 3399 Peachtree Road, $2,500
• Richard H. Anderson, 345 Brentwood Terrace, Delta Airlines $2,500
• Susan Kent Anderson, 345 Brentwood Terrace, Not Employed, $2,500
• Larry E. Cooper M.D., 1150 Lake Hearn Drive, Bentley Investments $2,500
• Basil Couvaras, 4172 Carmain Drive, Atlanta Bread, $2,500
• Elena Couvaras, 4172 Carmain Drive, Atlanta Bread, $2,500
• Mike Dangerfield, 3815 Paces Ferry Road, Carey Limo, $2,500
• Govlink, 1 Cantey Place, $2,500
• Mark W. Hennessy, 4272 Garmon Road, Hennessy Jaguar, $2,500
• Paula B. Hennessy, 4272 Garmon Road, N/A, $2,500
• Noel F. Khalil, 1718 Peachtree Street, Columbia Residential, $2.500
• Constance B. Lewis, 111 Habersham Valley Road, N/A, $2,500
• Robert Peterson, 675-10 West Paces Ferry Road, Carter USA, $2,500
• James D. Shelton, 3290 Wood Valley Road, Carter USA, $2,500
• Carrie Taylor, 3066 Pine Valley Road, N/A, $2,500
• O. Graham Thompson, 195 Alberta Drive, Sprint Nextel, $2,500