Atlanta mayor touts LaHood endorsement of Ga. port expansion

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (D) is touting praise of his city and state’s plans to develop new infrastructure from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Speaking at an air cargo conference in Georgia this week, LaHood praised a planned expansion of the port of Savannah, Ga., which Atlanta officials lobbied the Obama administration to provide funding for.

“When it comes to infrastructure policy, Atlanta is positioning itself as a global leader,” Reed said Thursday in an email to supporters. "That was the message of US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on Tuesday as he spoke before the 26th International Air Cargo Forum & Exposition.

“After working together on key transportation issues, Sec. LaHood and Mayor Reed have developed a close working relationship despite being members of different political parties,” the e-mail from Reed’s nascent 2013 reelection campaign continued. “In fact, Sec. LaHood was instrumental in getting the deepening of the Port of Savannah listed on a fast-track for future federal funding, even reiterating his support for the project at the Air Cargo Forum.”

The port expansion in Savannah was one of several announced by the Obama administration recently for expedited funding as part of President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” campaign.

The projects, like the port in Savannah, have long been sought by transportation officials in their respective states. The ports are also scheduled to be expanded in Jacksonville and Miami in Florida.; Charleston, S.C.; New York and New Jersey.

Reed’s campaign said Thursday that “the deepening of the Port of Savannah promises to be a game changer for Atlanta” that will “contribute to the expansion of air cargo out of Hartsfield-Jackson, already the 10th busiest air cargo hub in the United States.

"Once we deepen the Port of Savannah, we are going to challenge everybody in the logistics space,” Reed said.

Reed has been a frequent surrogate for Obama’s reelection campaign.

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