Also this issue:

Eighth Wonder
The battle for this Northwest Council seat is anything but friendly.
-Daryl Gale

At-Large and In Charge
-Daryl Gale

The Commish
A look at who's running for City Commissioner.
-Mary F. Patel

The Jury's Out
A roundup of judicial candidates in Tuesday's primary.
-Mary F. Patel

Gale Warning: SEPTA-fied

The French Rejection

The Bell Curve
City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

Bite the Ballot

May 14-20, 2003

on media

The Bye Line

Was Lundy forced to Walker the plank?

by Deborah Bolling

On Monday afternoon at around 4 p.m., a surprise announcement was made at the Inquirer¹s 400 N. Broad St. headquarters. Robert J. Hall, Inky publisher and chairman of Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., informed his staff that Walker Lundy, Inky editor and executive vice president since November 2001, would be retiring sometime in July. After the news sunk in, it didn¹t take long for some Inky staffers, many of whom as reporters are skeptics anyway, to doubt the veracity of Hall¹s claim that after nearly 18 months at the helm of the city¹s paper of record, Lundy¹s retirement was his own idea. Sources speaking anonymously say that a truer speculation is that Lundy, a 30-year Knight Ridder employee, was forced out of his position. But attempts to find anyone willing to voice those suspicions on the record were unsuccessful. In the meantime, Lundy isn¹t taking any calls and Hall is sticking by the story.

He's 60 years old and he decided to retire, Hall says. I tried to talk him out of it, but he's ready to go. It's a tough decision; it's going to be a loss. I'm disappointed. I really liked him as an editor.

Hall sternly rejected the idea that there was any connection between Lundy's July departure and the end of production of the 100-year-old Sunday magazine, slated for extinction that same month. That announcement was made in April.

The two are totally unrelated, Hall barked. One is economics, the other is a personal decision.

Many also questioned why it was Hall who made the announcement, rather than Lundy, who was reported to be on the West Coast for personal reasons when the late-day notice was given. Instead, Lundy issued an interoffice memorandum summing up his decision. In the memo, he cited his desire to do other things, including living on a lake and having the opportunity to drive a boat fast. But some questioned the timing of the new editor's decision, pointing out that retiring so soon after uprooting his life, which he did when he left his 11-year post at the St. Paul Pioneer Press to take this job, looked fishy. Hall says that Lundy had been considering retirement for a while and that if this was going to be his last position at a newspaper, Lundy told him he was glad it had been at the Inquirer.

Hall says he'll begin a search for a new editor immediately and that Lundy will remain flexible to ensure a smooth transition. Hall was confident he would have no problem finding someone to fit the bill.

Inky managing editor Anne Gordon says that she is not a candidate for the position. She says that decision was not her own, but would not elaborate. Gordon also said Lundy's announcement was not a total surprise to her.

We've been talking about it since December, she says. Now it's important that we all continue to focus on the newspaper and make it through this transition. We have great reporters here and I have total faith that we'll do just that.