Michael Long (Northern Ireland politician) explained

Honorific Prefix:Cllr
Michael Long
Order1:80th Lord Mayor of Belfast
Deputy1:Tom Haire
Term Start1:9 May 2022
Term End1:1 June 2022
Predecessor1:Kate Nicholl
Successor1:Tina Black[1]
Office2:High Sheriff of Belfast
Order2:121st
Term Start2:2 February 2021
Term End2:2 February 2022
Predecessor2:Nicola Verner
Successor2:John Hussey
Office3:Leader of the Alliance Party on Belfast City Council
Leader3:David Ford
Naomi Long
Term Start3:22 May 2014
Order4:Member of
Belfast City Council
Constituency4:Lisnasharragh
Term Start4:22 May 2014[2]
Predecessor4:New district
Order5:Member of
Castlereagh Borough Council
Constituency5:Castlereagh Central
Term Start5:7 June 2001
Term End5:22 May 2014
Predecessor5:Patrick Mitchell
Successor5:Council abolished
Birth Place:Kingston, Ontario, Canada[3]
Occupation:Politician
Party:Alliance
Spouse:[4]
Parents:Adrian Long
Elaine Long

Michael Andrew Long is a Northern Irish politician who served as the 80th Lord Mayor of Belfast from 9 May 2022 to 1 June 2022, finishing the remaining three weeks of Kate Nicholl's term after she was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2022.[5] Long has served as leader of the Alliance Party on Belfast City Council, and a Belfast City Councillor for the Lisnasharragh DEA since 2014.

Early life and education

Michael Long was born in Kingston, Ontario in Canada to mother Elaine and father Adrian.[3]

Political career

Member of Belfast City Council (2014-)

In May 2014, Long was elected to Belfast City Council to represent the constituency of Lisnasharragh.[6] Long would become the leader of Alliance in Belfast City Council.

Lord Mayor of Belfast (2022)

In May 2022, incumbent Lord Mayor of Belfast Kate Nicholl was elected as an Alliance MLA for Belfast South. Her term was due to end on 1 June but was cut short due to rules prohibiting double-jobbing[7] that forbid her from remaining as Lord Mayor of Belfast after being elected to the Assembly.[8]

Michael Long was installed as the 80th Lord Mayor of Belfast on 9 May 2022 to serve the remaining three weeks in Nicholl's term. Long's three-week tenure made him the shortest serving Lord Mayor of Belfast.[9] He is also the first spouse of a former Lord Mayor of Belfast to also serve in the post.[10] Long's wife Naomi held the position from June 2009 to June 2010. When Long was installed as Lord Mayor on 9 May 2022, he spoke in both English and Irish and said that his predecessor was an "inspiration". Following on from Kate Nicholl, who was born in Zimbabwe, Long was the second Lord Mayor of Belfast in a row to be foreign-born.[3]

On 1 June 2022, Long was succeeded by Tina Black of Sinn Féin as Lord Mayor of Belfast.[1]

Personal life

Long met his wife Naomi when they were teenagers and they married in 1995.[3]

Naomi is the current leader of the Alliance Party, and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East.

On 23 April 2022, Long's father Adrian, a civil engineer, died.[11] His funeral was held on 5 May, the same day as the 2022 Assembly election.[12]

Notes and References

  1. News: Simpson . Mark . 1 June 2022 . Sinn Féin's Tina Black elected as Belfast Lord Mayor . BBC News . 1 June 2022.
  2. Web site: The Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor, Councillor Michael Long . Belfast City Council . 9 May 2022.
  3. Web site: Simpson . Mark . 9 May 2022 . Alliance: Michael Long makes history as three-week mayor . BBC News . 6 June 2022.
  4. Naomi Long MLA . naomi_long . 26 September 2020 . So, not the Silver Wedding anniversary we planned . 1309986970710482954 . Twitter . 18 May 2022.
  5. Web site: Councillor Michael Long installed as Lord Mayor of Belfast . Belfast City Council . 9 May 2022 . 9 May 2022.
  6. Web site: Local Council Elections 2014 - Results by Stage . The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland . 9 May 2022.
  7. Web site: McClafferty . Enda . 16 January 2022 . Double jobbing: How dual mandates became an NI political problem . BBC News . 9 May 2022.
  8. Kate Nicholl . KateNicholl . 8 May 2022 . When I was declared an MLA, I stopped being Lord Mayor (3 weeks early!) I’ve had the best year meeting so many extraordinary people & witnessing all the good in our city. Thank you Belfast for the privilege of a lifetime ❤ #OurBelfast . 1523379830737186817 . Twitter . 8 May 2022.
  9. Web site: Corscadden . Jane . 9 May 2022 . Alliance's Michael Long set to 'make history' as Belfast mayor for three weeks . BelfastLive . 9 May 2022.
  10. Web site: Fox . Matt . 9 May 2022 . Alliance Party’s Naomi and Michael Long to make history as first couple to hold Belfast lord mayor office . Belfast Telegraph . 9 May 2022.
  11. Web site: Lynch . Connor . 24 April 2022 . Tributes paid to father of Belfast Alliance councillor Michael Long . BelfastLive . 17 May 2022.
  12. Web site: Fox . Matt . 5 May 2022 . Naomi Long attends father-in-law's funeral on election day as tributes flood in for Professor Adrian Long . Belfast Telegraph . 17 May 2022.