By Eric Stirgus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, in his first full day on the job, said Tuesday he would work to improve business opportunities in the city, including creating a position of "economic development czar."

Reed made the comments at a Kiwanis Club luncheon, his first public event Tuesday.

Reed said he wants to be able to help businesses solve their problems more quickly, noting that New York City has an official who specializes in attracting and keeping businesses.

The mayor also said he wants to improve the permitting department in his first year.

Reed is scheduled to announce organizational changes in the police department Tuesday afternoon.

Reed made the issue of crime a major topic of his inaugural address Monday.

"When women cannot walk to their cars at night without feeling safe, when students don’t feel safe walking to class, when convention attendees don’t want to stay downtown, we have failed to take responsibility for the most sacred obligation of our present – the safety of our citizens." he said.

"We must undertake this effort with seriousness and severity. We must prevent crime, we must eliminate violence fueled by gang activity and we must reduce the types of activities like aggressive panhandling that frighten our citizens. We must treat our officers better by paying them a wage that allows them to support their families and to afford to live in the city they have sworn to protect.

"We must have more police officers walking and working amongst us, and in the next year I will honor this commitment," he said.

After being sworn in Monday, Reed also vowed to help small business owners and young people and provide better customer service for citizens.

"We cannot face our future if we are facing off with each other," Reed said.

The new mayor added later: "We need to make sure we aren't a city that isn't too busy to love."

Reed, a 40-year-old Atlanta native, was sworn in to office at 1:21 p.m. at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center with his parents at his side.

The new mayor said during a 25-minute speech that he would immediately work to open all of the city's recreation centers closed by budget cuts and announced Monday that he was getting some help in that effort. Turner Broadcasting System chairman Phil Kent pledged $1 from each ticket sold from CNN Center tours to help operate the buildings, which Reed said will now be known as "centers of hope." About 250,00 tour the center each year, Turner officials saidpledged to help.

In addition to Reed, Ceasar Mitchell was sworn in as the new City Council president. The 15 district council members were sworn in as were the city's municipal court judges. Two of the judges, Crystal Gaines and Gary E. Jackson, accidentally fell from their chairs and off the stage toward the close of the ceremonies. City officials said they were not injured.

Monday's inauguration activities were modest in comparison to the 2002 celebration for Shirley Franklin, the city's first female mayor. Franklin's inauguration included a ball. Reed said he didn't want a ball, sensitive to the economic plight of many of its residents as the Atlanta region slogs through the recession. About one-quarter of Atlanta residents live below the poverty rate, U.S. Census figures show.

Even so, there was still pomp and high-ceremony Monday.

Attendees at the swearing-in ceremonies included Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the state's labor commissioner, Michael Thurmond. Franklin, who will teach at Spelman College, spoke at the swearing-in ceremony to a loud ovation, as did former mayors Sam Massell and Andrew Young.

Many of the speakers at the swearing-in ceremony pleaded for the city's new leadership to help the less fortunate. They spoke of the city's many challenges, but as Massell noted, "it was considered the most difficult of times" when he took office in 1970.

Atlanta is suffering from declining sales and property tax revenue, rising pension costs and concerns about violent crime. The city's population rose by more than 100,000 residents since 2000, but most voted along racial lines in last year's election.Later, several hundred people waited in line at City Hall Monday at an evening reception Monday evening to meet the new mayor.

"We're going to get through these times together," Reed told the crowd.

The new mayor began his day with an interfaith prayer service at Ben Hill United Methodist Church in southwest Atlanta.

Reed won one of the closest elections in the city's history. The former state lawmaker won a runoff against Mary Norwood by 714 votes out of more than 83,000 ballots cast. In September, one leading pollster showed support for Reed was just at 9 percent.

He campaigned on an ambitious, some said unrealistic, plan of increasing Atlanta's police force by 750 officers in his first term. Reed, an attorney, vowed to tackle street gangs, violent crime and offer more programs for young people. Reed also said he would reduce the amount of money the city spent on pensions. Atlanta's pension spending has nearly tripled since 2002, when the city doled out $36.4 million. Reed touched on all of those challenges in his speech.

The new mayor also promised to be tough on panhandling and to increase pay for police officers.

It was apparent that the honeymoon could be short for the new mayor and council. The council met at 4 p.m. Monday and frequent critic Dave Walker called Reed's recent remarks on panhandling "irresponsible."

"(Reed) needs to worry about getting these criminals off the streets," Walker said.

Others said after the swearing-in ceremony that they were looking forward to working with Atlanta's new leadership. DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis said he's talked with Reed and Mitchell about working on longstanding regional problems such as water, transportation, funding for Grady Memorial Hospital and MARTA.

"We're going to have to collaborate," Ellis said.

Jesse Jackson said the new mayor is about to enter a period of "glory and agony."

"There is glory of achievement and ceremony, but agony in a diminished tax base, and the demands of urban and rural reconstruction," the civil rights leader said. "There has to be a plan to bail out cities."

Reed challenged the crowd of about 4,000 people at the civic center to help him help the city over the next four years. He also said the city will assist its youth, but "we will demand more of you."

The mayor said he will reform the city's permitting department to make it easier to use.

"I will be known as the mayor of the small business person," he said.

Reed ended his speech by saying he will work to make Atlanta "the city on a hill."

"Come with me," he said. "We will win. Our journey has just begun."

Staff writer Ernie Suggs contributed to this story.