Residents Open Wallets for Mayor Kasim Reed's 2013 Mayoral Election

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed won't be up for re-election until 2013, but hundreds of people and companies nationwide are already donating to his campaign, including a handful from Virginia-Highland.

About $8,700 from Va-Hi businesses and residents has flowed to Reed's re-election kitty in 2011.

That's just a fraction of the nationwide total during the last six months of $640,000, according to the latest filing to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.

Donations from Virginia-Highland are varied. Promoter Peter Conlon maxed out his personal contribution of $2,500. Smaller gifts come from a construction company boss, a management consultant and attorneys.

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

Attorneys and their firms are early givers citywide, especially from firms that specialize in what's called "government relations," better know as lobbying.

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

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.

The top donors for Virginia Highland and Druid Hills were:

• Peter David Conlon, 1100 Virginia Avenue, Peter Conlon Presents LLC, $2500
• Charles T. Huddleston, 1256 Pasadena Avenue, Baker Donelson, $2000
• The Adams Group, 1026 Bellevue Drive, $1000
• Michael P. Williams, 1183 Amsterdam Avenue, Making Projects Work Inc., $1000
• Douglas Landau, 752 1/2 North Highland Avenue, Concrete Ideas LLC, $500
• Charles T. Sharbaugh, 1101 Springdale Road, Paul Hastings LLP, $500
• William M. Brown, 98 Ponce de Leon Terrace, Information Requested by Reed Campaign, $250