His political aspiration is driven by his passion for helping. According to Anthony Smith, it is in his blood: the legacy of his mother, father, and near-legendary grandmother, “Teacher Gen” from Potters, who were all dedicated to assisting the less fortunate and to community development.
As a child in school and in his village, Anthony gravitated to philanthropy, contributing wherever possible to the lives of the people around him. Now, as an adult, he recognizes that a political opportunity will enable him to serve a greater number from a wider platform. Therefore, he is grateful to have been designated by the United Progressive Party’s All Saints West Branch to represent his people.
Tony spent his early years preparing for such an opportunity, starting on the path to leadership at the early the age of 17. It was then that he became heavily involved in the Sea View Farm Football Club, going on to hold the positions of Treasurer, Vice President, and President, testimony to his advanced professional development and desire to serve.
At present, Smith is the General Manager of the newly reconstructed Western Union and also runs the Easy Grabbs establishments at Jabberwock Beach and Antigua Village.
To these positions he brings over 12 years’ experience in banking, customer service and investment solutions, having worked in various positions at the Community First Credit Union. During his time there, he completed training and certification in Investment and Savings and in Compliance.
He particularly enjoyed his last position, Youth Savings Officer, which enabled him to develop a national program that taught young people the principles of finance and money management, savings and economics. In addition to opening over 10,000 accounts, Smith is proud that he helped to show students the importance of staying in school and getting a good education.
A proud graduate of the Antigua Grammar School, Smith is a strong believer in education’s power to transform. Accordingly, he is looking forward to completing his Master’s degree in Leadership and Management at St. York’s University in England.
Newly married, Smith also believes in family and godly principles; in humanitarian improvement and church work; and in the advancement of women.
However, he says the men must not be left behind. In order to build strong families, he recognizes that opportunities in business, sports, skills training, and spiritual development must be available to them.
As a young man, himself, he is concerned that too many youths are struggling to make a mark in the economic development of the country.
“We need to create policies that help young people acquire wealth,” he says. “Only a chosen few are doing well, while the others are struggling. We must create a path to help poor people to climb; to give everybody a chance to reach the top.”
He is convinced that a United Progressive Party Administration will achieve that.
