Former Atlanta mayor sentenced to prison for corruption

Earlier today, Bill Campbell, a Democrat who served as mayor of Atlanta from 1994-2002, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $6,000 for racketeering and tax evasion charges. [CNN] Campbell is a Raleigh, NC native, and at age seven, he became the first black child to attend the city's public schools after it began the integration process in 1960. [News & Observer]

Campbell's years as Atlanta's mayor were among the most prosperous in the city's history, and some pundits even mentioned him as a possible running mate for Al Gore in 2000. But the Department of Justice's corruption investigation began to dampen Campbell's future in politics. Today, as he read the former mayor his sentence, U.S. District Judge Richard Story said:

"Yes, Bill Campbell, you did good things, and there is a person in this room that recognizes this," Story said, referring to himself. He cited Campbell's work in improving public housing in Atlanta as an example. But the judge added that during the trial he "was overcome, almost appalled, at the breadth of misconduct in your administration." [CNN]

"Atlanta's former mayor sentenced to prison" [CNN]