The Seattle Times announced this afternoon that editorial page editor Jim Vesely, intends to retire on May 15. He has served in that position since 2001, after joining the Times in 1991. He had previously worked as managing editor for the Detroit News and as editor of the Anchorage Times.

Vesely is a suburban-focused, pro-business conservative with close ties to the old Eastside Republican establishment. A decorous and soft spoken man, I have found him to be easy to work with on several occasions in the past, and this despite the fact that we hold very divergent political views—and also despite the fact that I have been sharply critical of the Times’ editorial page stances from time to time. I wish him well in the future.

My sense has been that he solidified the page’s a center right orientation after the tenure of the more liberal Mindy Cameron, who long-time P-I columnist Joel Connelly tells me once wrote a groundbreaking column about her own mid-1970s abortion. Cameron also helmed the page when the Times, a traditionally Republican paper in its editorial views, surprised local observers by endorsing Dukakis in 1988. Connelly adds, though, that in the later years of Cameron’s ascendancy the page had already begun to return to its right-leaning roots, a drift that continued under Vesely:

Over the years, Cameron seemed to move right.  She denounced efforts to save the Blue Moon, reacted with huffiness when some of us suggested renaming it Mindy's. Newly retired, she was a stern management shill during the 2000-01 Seattle newspaper strike.

Under Vesely, the Times editorial page has been a closely allied to local business interests and in my observation the page is almost reflexively anti-labor. One huge black mark: The page vociferously defended the status quo at the Port of Seattle long after it was apparent to most political observers that there were real problems with former Port CEO Mic Dinsmore.

Vesely’s page has also tilted far right on some issues of importance to urban liberals. The paper’s near-reactionary stances on transit immediately comes to mind—the page has voiced a long-standing hostility to light rail, adopting talking points that at times under Vesely seemed to mimic the view of hard right transit opponents such as Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman and former Eastside Republican state Senator Jim Horn.

Regarding candidate endorsements, the paper has also appeared to drift right in recently (Rossi, Reichert, McGavick, et al), albeit with a few notable, high profile exceptions: the page, after endorsing George Bush in 2000, endorsed John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. But to Vesely’s credit, the page has not always been predictable. For example, after initially supporting the war in Iraq, under Vesely’s direction the paper turned strongly against it in a memorable series of editorials in 2005. Again to Vesely’s credit, the paper’s editorial voice has generally tilted moderately to the left on social issues like gay marriage.

Given Vesely’s age, 68, the retirement announcement is not unexpected. Speculation in recent years has been that his replacement is likely to be Times editorial writer Kate Riley. If that is in fact the case the Times is not saying yet. Times Company spokesperson Jill Mackie says a successor has not been named at this point, which is echoed by Riley herself, who responded to my e-mail inquiry by saying that, “This really is Jim’s moment, No decision about a successor has been made.”

Riley is more of an independent than a Republican in her political views, although she leans a bit conservative. She boasts Eastern Washington roots and a sharp dislike of partisan allegiances. One perhaps surprising example: Drawn to his post-partisan style and rhetoric, Riley was a strong supporter of Obama’s candidacy during the 2008 election season. Should Riley replace Vesely, I would not expect any truly major changes in the paper’s stances (which after all are also strongly shaped by the views of publisher Frank Blethen), although I would not be surprised to see the paper’s editorial positions shift a notch or two back towards the center. Time will tell.

The Times’ release announcing Vesely’s retirement is below:

 

NEWS RELEASE

May 12, 2009 
Jill R. Mackie, Vice President, Public Affairs 
206/464-2028 
[email protected]

Editorial Page Editor James Vesely to Retire from The Seattle Times

James F. Vesely, Editorial Page Editor of The Seattle Times, has announced his retirement from The Times.  Vesely, 68, joined The Seattle Times in 1991 as Associate Editorial Page Editor and was named Editorial Page Editor in 2001.  In addition to oversight of the editorial page, Jim has written a column of commentary focused on Seattle’s Eastside communities and growth management issues.

“Jim is one of the best journalists and most decent people I have had the privilege to work with.  He elevated The Seattle Times’ editorial voice and staff to be the most respected and influential in our long history.  He has deep passion and great pride in our independence, worked hard every day to ensure The Times’ voice remains independent, and he is a passionate advocate of the people, said Frank Blethen, Publisher and CEO of The Seattle Times.  “Jim is particularly proud of creating The Times’ innovative ‘Democracy Papers’, an ongoing exploration of the free press and how it does or does not serve citizens. I will miss Jim’s wit, professionalism and friendship, but wish him well in this next phase of his life.”

Vesely is well-regarded among his peers, the editorial page editors throughout the country.  “Under Jim's leadership, the editorial pages of The Seattle Times maintains its status as a must-look page for editorial writers and editors across the nation, and he is proud when someone "borrows" one of the page's ideas,” said Kay Semion, Past President, National Conference of Editorial Writers.  “Jim's voice on the editorial page reflects the community-centered opinion that is part of the signature of family-owned newspaper.”

Before coming to The Times, Vesely spent much of his journalism career in the Midwest including serving as Managing Editor for the Detroit News.  He also served as Editor of the Anchorage Times in Alaska. Vesely was a Journalism Fellow of Stanford University and is a member of the National Conference of Editorial Writers. He has also had a longtime interest in Asia, serving as a member of the U.S.–Japan Editor’s Conference, was a visiting editor with the People’s Daily, Beijing, and a recipient of the Foreign Exchange Scholarship Program hosted by the Korea Foundation for 2008.

Vesely lives on Mercer Island and plans to continue writing and spending more time with his daughters and granddaughter. Vesely’s retirement is effective May 15.  The company has not yet named a successor.

The Seattle Times is a 112-year-old locally owned journalism and community service company. Founded in 1896 by Alden J. Blethen, The Seattle Times is a fourth and fifth generation family business. The family's flagship newspaper, The Seattle Times, is the largest daily newspaper in Washington state and the largest Sunday newspaper in the Northwest. The flagship website, seattletimes.com is the largest local news information web site in the Northwest.  Other Blethen-owned newspapers in Washington are the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, the Yakima Herald-Republic, the Issaquah Press, the Newcastle News, the Sammamish Review and the SnoValley Star.

The company also owns the Blethen Maine Newspapers: The Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram; Kennebec Journal, in Augusta; Morning Sentinel, in Waterville; and Coastal Journal, in Bath.  More company information, including links to the newspaper Web sites, is available at seattletimescompany.com.