Premier's press secretary steps down
By Amanda Dale
The Premier is to employ a new Press Secretary from the end of the month.
Government yesterday announced the departure of Glenn Jones who is stepping down from the position after more than two years in the role.
Mr. Jones, an Emmy Award winning journalist, began working for Premier Dr. Ewart Brown in May 2007. He will leave the post at the end of September.
Among the programmes he has been involved with, Mr. Jones says working with young people has proved the most gratifying.
"I found the Government's youth-focused agenda to be the most rewarding part of the job," he said.
"I got into it so much I ended up dedicating a great deal of my personal time to those issues. And that's saying something because the job is not generous on personal time."
Mr. Jones highlights Mirrors, free public transportation for students, the Premier's College Tour, tuition-free Bermuda College, Brown Bag Lunches and the Jumpstart programme as the issues closest to his heart.
"All of these programmes helped to educate, bridge the gap, and empower the next generation of young people," he said.
In an interview with ZBM news last night, Mr. Jones said he had not yet decided which career path to take next, but that he was considering several options.
"I have no predetermined destination," he said.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do but I will finally have those conversations with all those people who said, 'When you're done with this, come and see me about this'."
He said that whatever he ends up pursuing, his experiences working for the Premier will prove invaluable.
"There have been thousands of experiences which will somehow shape me in the future," he said.
Dr. Brown said yesterday: "In a difficult media environment Glenn Jones did an excellent job. He was able to maintain productive relations with most of Bermuda's media.
"I am sad to see him leave, but I believe he has a future beyond his present job."
A Government spokesperson said: "Mr. Jones worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure that Government's economic, tourism and social policy messages were front-burner agenda items for the community.
"This is evidenced by his involvement in: the creation of the Government's YouTube Channel; travelling to Washington D.C. over the past three years as part of Bermuda's delegation to Congress on economic issues; helping to strengthen Government's ties to ABIR (Association of Business Insurance and Re-Insurance); serving as a Mirrors Life Coach; the production of several video projects to educate the public on issues related to Bermuda's economy and tourism industry; and serving on the Sally Bassett Monument Committee."
Mr. Jones is also a co-founder of the BLING Book Club, a charitable programme aimed at promoting literacy among young people.
He will be replaced on October 1 by Arnold Minors, a Bermudian author.
