Olympian's executive editor announces plans to retire

The Olympian • Published August 30, 2008

Vickie Kilgore, who has been at the helm of The Olympian's newsroom as executive editor for 10 years, announced Friday that she is stepping down.

"This is an early retirement driven by personal reasons," said Kilgore, 58. "My husband and I are still newlyweds. This first year has been a cross-country commuter marriage. Our frequent-flyer miles are dwindling; airfares are climbing; so we stand to see even less of each other next year.

"The increasing challenges of running a newsroom in today's economic climate demand a leader who can give 110 percent to the job. I can no longer do that. Olympia will continue to be our primary home, but the time is appropriate for me to seek fresh challenges that will give me more flexibility," Kilgore said.

Publisher John Winn Miller said Managing Editor Jerry Wakefield will be in charge of the newsroom "while we sort out what the newsroom structure will be."

"I know from personal experience how tough it is to be the editor of a capital city newspaper," Miller said. "And I can tell you that Vickie has not only persevered but excelled. Through blinding storms and floods, through political cliffhangers, riots, local tragedies and triumphs, Vickie has upheld the highest ideals of journalism."

Opinion Page Editor Mike Oakland said: "In my 36 years in The Olympian's newsroom, there has never been an editor who has been a greater champion of the First Amendment than Vickie. She pushed reporters and editors to pry open the doors of government using this state's open-records and open-meeting laws. And when the laws failed us, she went to the state Capitol to push new legislation."

Hanging on Kilgore's newsroom office wall are the pen that former Gov. Gary Locke used to sign a law limiting closed-door executive sessions and the pen used by Gov. Chris Gregoire to sign a law clarifying that attorney charges to government entities are open to public inspection.

"Both of those laws are the direct result of Vickie's push to make government open and transparent," Oakland said.

During her tenure, Kilgore noted, "We won awards for watchdog reporting and editorials that have shaped the community agenda. We dedicated staff resources to topics of most interest to our readers: state government, education, the environment and outdoors."

Online newspapering was little more than a concept when Kilgore was hired in 1998.

"Now, thanks to our online team, theolympian.com typically receives between 3 and 4 million page views a month," she said.

The site has content daily that supplements the print edition. The newsroom team produces videos throughout the week and photo galleries that generate as many as 80,000 views a month.

It's that leadership that has impressed Miller.

"Vickie is a terrific editor who has been a great partner," he said. "This is a big loss for The Olympian and for the community that she has served so well. I hate to see her leave but I understand the tug of family needs."

Kilgore said: "While it is painful to part from colleagues who have been like family to me for the past 10 years, I have confidence our newsroom will continue to make me proud."

Her last day in the office will be Sept. 12.