Education
Smith was educated at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar, Fife before reading Politics and Economics at.
politician Member of the Scottish Parliament
Smith was educated at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar, Fife before reading Politics and Economics at.
Prior to entering Parliament, Smith worked for Northumberland County Council, managed an Advice Centre in Dundee and was Constituency Assistant to North East Fife Member of Parliament, Sir Menzies Campbell. Smith was elected to the first Scottish Parliament in May 1999 to represent his home constituency of North East Fife and was appointed as Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business in the government of First Minister Donald Dewar. A post he held until Donald Dewar’s death the following year.
He convened the Parliament’s Procedures Committee from 2003 until 2005 when he was elected Convener of the Committee, a position he held until the 2007 Election.
In September 2008 he became Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s influential Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee. Smith was one of four openly gay, lesbian or bisexual MSPs in the 2007-2011 Parliament, along with Patrick Harvie, former Managing Successful Programmes Margaret Smith and Joe FitzPatrick.
Foreign the past eight years, Smith has lived with his partner in Ladybank. He has a broad interest in sports, particularly cricket and football.
He likes to travel widely and has a keen interest in culture.
Simultaneously, he was a Councillor and Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Fife Council 1986 to 1999.
Between 2001-2011 he represented the Scottish Parliament as a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.