East Atlantans donate to Mayor Kasim Reed’s 2013 fund

Atlanta's mayoral election is two years away, but a few people in East Atlanta are already starting to open their wallets.

In the last six months, they've sent about $11,000 to a Kasim Reed 2013 re-election bid.

The sum covers donations from the Fourth Ward all the way to East Lake. Nationwide, Reed has collected $640,000 this year, according to the latest filing to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.

Much of the East Atlanta money comes from the households in the more affluent blocks just north of DeKalb Avenue, from people with job titles like "executive" and "director." Or some form of "attorney."

Major lobbying and law firms watch politics closely and elections early.  Two donations came from people who work at McKenna Long and Aldridge, one of the city's most politically-connected firms. And that matches their colleagues and competitors all over Atlanta.

Airport-related businesses don't ignore the man who runs the city that owns the world's busiest airport. An executive with the Parking Company of America sent the maximum donation allowed: $2,500.

Around Grant Park, a handful of donations came from professionals and people who run small businesses including a real estate agency and a restaurant.

And state Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta), who was Reed's colleague when he was in the state Senate, sent $300.

Georgia's campaign finance law requires candidates to itemize every single 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 disclosure with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission for the second half of 2011 in early 2012.

Here are the top 10 donors from the East Atlanta Patch community:

• Susana Maria Chavez, 553 Seminole Avenue, Parking Company of America, $2500
• James S. Grauley, 827 Oakdale Road, Columbia Residential, $2000
• Ann W. Cramer, 1054 Austin Avenue, IBM, $1000
• Noontime LLC, 154 Krog Street, $1000
• Brian David Poe and Associates, Attorneys at Law, 934 Glenwood Avenue, $1000
• Ellen C. Yates, 1916 Gris Stone Court, Information Requested by Reed campaign, $1000
• Martha Finn Brooks, 1775 Pone De Leon Avenue, Self-Employed, $500
• Candice Coleman Franklin, 2632 Arbor Avenue, The Coleman Franklin Group, $500
• Sharon A. Gay, 944 Euclid Avenue, McKenna Long and Aldridge, $500
• Adrienne Strothers, 619 Page Avenue, Warner Mayoue Bates and McGough, $500