Sara Lugo has awakened her husband countless times over the past 20 years with an elbow and a command.
“You gotta read Lou today,” Lugo would tell her husband.
She was referring to weekly Press Talk columns written by Columbian Editor Lou Brancaccio.
Lugo and hundreds of others had a chance to thank Brancaccio for his years of columns and service to the community on Saturday at an open house to celebrate his retirement. Friday was Brancaccio’s last day.
Brancaccio, 66, was hired as The Columbian’s managing editor in November 1997 and took over as editor in January 2001, after the retirement of Tom Koenninger.
“I just like that he let people know what was happening in local government, important things that people need to know,” Lugo of Salmon Creek said. “He was brave about calling out inappropriate things that were happening. It was addictive fun reading him.”
Reading Press Talk was a bit more conflicting if you were the subject of the column, as former Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard found out plenty of times.
“It could be heartwarming,” he said Saturday. “It could also be a pain in the ass. I’ve always said, I have no problem just as long as he spells my name right. Lou did a good job for the community.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said it wasn’t as intimidating to appear in a Press Talk column as it was to sit in an interview with The Columbian editorial board, of which Brancaccio will remain a member as editor emeritus. He’ll also continue to contribute a Press Talk column on the first Saturday of each month.
“He’s very pointed, and I appreciate that,” Cantwell said. “Lou is a community fixture.”
Cantwell appeared at the open house on Saturday, along with a few other elected officials and roughly 250 guests. The open house started at 1 p.m., and by the time the doors opened, there was a line of more than 70 people waiting to get in.
“It feels terrific,” Brancaccio said of the turnout. “Journalists don’t get into this business to have people fall in love with them. By the nature of the beast, we upset people. This shows people really care, and when people really care, good things happen.”
One quality that readers at the open house said they admired about Brancaccio is his honesty. Chris Fisher of Salmon Creek moved to the area four years ago and started reading Brancaccio’s columns to help him learn the local politicians.
“He taught me how to vote,” Fisher said. “I appreciate good journalism. Lou is such an honest, clear writer. I read as much as I can on both sides. His always rang true. I trust him.”
While addressing the crowd, Brancaccio said he has lived in each corner of the country after growing up in Chicago, Ill., and working in Florida, New York state and Southern California. In his retirement, he’ll split his time between Vancouver and Florida.
“We’ve been here 20 years, we raised our daughter here,” he said. “This is home.”
