Other community leaders were asked to comment about Reed at the conclusion of the event. Manhattan Community Board 11 Chair David Givens stated that he was happy that the councilman was re-elected to another term. He explained that Reed was instrumental in obtaining funding from the city to rehabilitate the Thomas Jefferson Soccer and Baseball Field. Givens also praised the councilman for compelling the city last summer to commit $12 million to develop more affordable housing in the community. "We're (Community Board 11) very pleased that he's re-elected, and look forward to those (redevelopment) projects coming to completion," Givens said.

Violeta Galagarza, founder and director of Keep Rising To The Top, an East Harlem-based dance company that performed at the swearing-in ceremony, explained that the councilman demonstrated his commitment to supporting the arts in the community by helping to obtain funds for her organization. Galagarza admitted that she initially did not know who Reed was when he approached her at a performance for U.S. Representative Charles Rangel. She stated that her group was later chosen as one of three dance companies in the community that Reed wanted to fund. "That (Reed's action) just opened my eyes to see a Black American supporting a Boricua (a term used by young Puerto Ricans to re-identify themselves with the original name of their homeland "Borinquen")," Galagarza said. "It's very hard to see that support in the community and he's been there for the past five years". City Council Deputy Majority Leader Bill Perkins described his relationship with Reed as a "very productive and fruitful partnership." "Our districts border one another," Perkins said about the geographical proximity of the areas that he and Reed represent. "I think what we're seeing in Phil Reed is a leader for the future."

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