Cr Reid first joined the council in 2016, becoming deputy mayor in her second term under former mayor Tracy Hicks.
The nod for the position came as a surprise to her but she grew to greatly enjoy it, after much consideration about taking it up.
Sitting back and thinking about her time at the big table, Cr Reid said she had many things to be proud of.
"I’m really proud of the fact we have engaged better with the runanga. I’d like to see that continue, I appreciate the work they do in the community, which is often unsung.
"The renewal of the James Cumming Wing, with the new library, I loved that. That’s a brilliant asset for our community," she said.
Although the library might have been seen as a financial mess to some, Cr Reid said the reality of the situation was much different.
With help from central government for the build, and the need for maintenance and repairs at the old building, she said it was for the best to create the new building.
As an avid reader, Cr Reid is no stranger to a library and said it was more than just a holder of books, but somewhere for the people of Gore to congregate.
"It’s brilliant. I just love walking into the library, seeing so many different people of different ages, hearing kids laugh, because when I came to Gore we didn’t have that," she said.
Cr Reid learned a lot coming into the council, and said some good guidance from Mr Hicks helped her to come to grips with the realities of the position.
"I remember I was talking about standing, and [Mr Hicks] said to me it’s not like being in business. It’s a very slow process.
"He was completely right, it drove me nuts," she said, with a laugh.
Councils were restricted by government regulation much more than people realised, which came as a shock sitting at the table, she said.
"It’s quite an eye-opener actually. No matter what you think before you’re elected, forget it, it’s completely different," she said.
It was important to have the basics down, but Cr Reid said comprehension as a very important skill to have for any councillor.
The time commitment has to be considered, with meetings and workshops required, which she said she was happy to step away from.
Now, she will be continuing her role as a part-time teacher at Māruawai College, and will be spending more time doing what she likes to do.
She will be heading out to the library to sit down and devour books as she did reports, her garden will be her committee, and travelling around is on the cards too.
Cr Reid said looking back on her time at the big table, she was grateful for the past nine years spent serving the Gore District.
"I’ve been very, very lucky and I’ve enjoyed [my time on council]. I enjoyed the challenge," she said.
