Steven L. Reed (born 1974) is an American jurist and politician serving as the Mayor of

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, he previously served as a

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

in Montgomery County.

Early life and education

Steven L. Reed was born in

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

and Mollie Reed (née Perry) as one of three children. His father, Joe, served as one of the first class of elected members of the Montgomery City Council from 1975 to 1999. Steven Reed earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. Reed is a member of the

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity, having been initiated into its Theta Alpha graduate chapter in 1998.

Early career

He was a financial analyst, then changed careers and lobbied the Alabama legislature, and worked for

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Jim Folsom Jr. James Elisha 'Jim' Folsom Jr. (born May 14, 1949) is an American politician who was the 50th governor of Alabama from April 22, 1993, to January 16, 1995. He has also served as the lieutenant governor of Alabama on two occasions. He is a member ...

Reed was elected as probate judge in 2012, the first African American in that position. In February 2015 he was the first probate judge in the state of Alabama who started issuing same-sex marriage licenses after district judge

Callie V. Granade Callie Virginia Granade (née Smith; born March 7, 1950) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. The first female federal prosecutor in Mobile, Granade became the first ...

struck the state's ban on same-sex marriage, defying Alabama Chief Justice

Roy Moore Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fro ...

. In March 2015, after a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court, he stopped issuing them.

Mayor of Montgomery

Reed ran for mayor of Montgomery in the 2019 election, and defeated his opponent David Woods in a runoff. Upon taking office, Reed became the first African-American mayor of Montgomery since its incorporation in 1819. He was officially sworn in as Mayor on November 12, 2019. Prior to being sworn in, Reed took part in a prayer service at the historic

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Dexter Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974 because of its importance i ...

, which gained notoriety at the start of the

Civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

for leading the

Montgomery bus boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...

. Reed was intrumental in pushing for a property tax for the city's schools in 2020, which historically had been underfunded.https://www.wsfa.com/2020/11/03/montgomery-voters-pass-property-tax-increase-support-schools/ Under his leadership his administration has reduced the city's debt substantially., https://www.wsfa.com/2021/03/17/montgomery-city-council-approves-capital-improvement-plan/. This debt restructuring shored up $50 million for capital improvements in public safety, neighborhoods, city facilities and more.

References

External links

Biography, Montgomery Mayor's OfficeCampaign websiteSteven L. Reed
Living people African-American mayors in Alabama Alabama Democrats Alabama state court judges Mayors of Montgomery, Alabama Probate court judges in the United States Year of birth missing (living people) Morehouse College alumni Vanderbilt University alumni 1970s births African-American judges {{Alabama-state-judge-stub