Senator Michael Joseph, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party candidate for St. John's Rural West, has announced plans for immediate playground construction in two communities and pledged a $10,000 personal donation to the New Gen Band at the party's first campaign rally of the 2026 general election cycle.
According to Antigua.news, Joseph made the announcements Thursday evening at a campaign rally held at Knuckle Block, telling supporters he would begin construction of a playground in Five Islands the following morning, with a second playground for Keithley Sheppard Field to follow shortly after.
"I made a commitment to the people of Five Islands Primary School, Five Islands Village, that I will be delivering a playground to them," Joseph said.
The candidate also disclosed that he has spent the past three months personally funding mathematics and English teachers to support students in the constituency, pointing to widespread struggles with core subjects as his motivation.
"Many people don't know this, but I've spent the last three months paying for teachers to teach maths and English because I know our students struggle with maths and English," he said.
Joseph, who currently serves as a senator, is seeking to unseat incumbent Richard Lewis in the constituency. He framed the $10,000 donation to the New Gen Band as part of a broader commitment to culture and youth development.
He also presented his constituency manifesto, titled "Bold Vision Rural West," outlining his development priorities for the area. Accessibility and accountability were central themes, with Joseph pledging to hold regular town hall meetings if elected.
"I intend to make sure that we have regular town hall meetings in this constituency because you need to be a part of what happens down here," he said. "You need to tell me as your representative what needs to be done and the decisions that we need to fight for."
The rally, held ahead of the April 30th general election, also featured addresses from Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Party Chairman E.P. Chet Green, and several other ABLP parliamentarians.
