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= Eugene Reid = Eugene Reid is a politician in Northern Ireland and a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

He is a local government councillor and has been selected to represent the SDLP in the Assembly 2022 elections planned for Thursday 5th May.

Local Government Councillor, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council (May 2019-)
Eugene ran successfully for office for the first time as a Local Councillor representing Ballymena Town on the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (MEABC).

This is one of 11 local councils in Northern Ireland. In the 2019 Local Election he managed to increase the SDLP share of the vote and as a relative newcomer, increased first preference votes by 300 on the previous candidate and came within 40 votes of topping the poll in what has traditionally been a stronghold for unionist parties especially the DUP.

He achieved the following:


 * As Vice Chair of the Borough Growth Committee he oversaw a wide variety of initiatives to drive entrepreneurship and business growth especially important in the wake of 2 major employers in the town (Michelin tyres and JTI) closing down
 * Brought forward a proposal for the creation of a Climate Change Committee which gained huge support and is now a key platform for the discussion and    facilitation of green initiatives in the borough. He subsequently became Vice Chair of that committee
 * Involved in core policy issues and legislative plans including the Borough Corporate Plan
 * Represented multiple constituents and advocated at planning meetings and achieve successful outcome
 * Acted as a key contact for businesses in the borough especially during lockdown periods of the Covid Pandemic and give rigorous and robust assistance ensuring all could avail of regional and local government support

President Ballymena Chamber of Commerce, January 2020-

 * Working with the Chamber team he oversaw, supported and expanded new and existing business working with over 100 companies during one of the most difficult business environments in recent history
 * Regularly engaged with print and broadcast media to communicate the challenges and build new business relationships
 * Devised key initiatives that ensured the number of Chamber members was maintained during the Covid Pandemic
 * Key driver behind Ballymena Back to Business awards, a highly successful and hugely well attended (350+) event that was the first of its kind in 2 years