Baton passes at RN-T
Longtime Managing Editor Mike Colombo turns the newsroom over to John Bailey.
The Rome News-Tribune newsroom baton is passing from Mike Colombo to John Bailey.
The managing editor since November 2011, Colombo is stepping down after 29 years with the newspaper to take a position in Floyd Medical Center’s public relations department.
Bailey, who started in 2007 as a reporter covering crime and courts, spent the past six years overseeing and growing the RN-T’s online presence. He’ll take the helm as managing editor Monday.
Publisher Otis Raybon said Bailey has knowledge, the respect of his peers in the newsroom and an understanding of the importance of an accurate and timely news package in print and online.
“John Bailey has the experience and skills necessary to guide the newsroom of RN-T and continue offering our audience, our readers, the very best news possible,” Raybon said.
The publisher and Colombo have a relationship spanning more than three decades, starting when Raybon was advertising director at the Valdosta Daily Times and Colombo was a fledgling sports writer there.
Raybon recalled a recent conversation where columnist Lee Walburn described Colombo as “a lifer” in the newspaper business.
“That’s an accurate description,” he said. “We will certainly miss Mike and his blunt, fast manner in the newsroom. He has never directed that demeanor personally toward anyone but his style was to get the facts and get them quick. We wish him well at FMC and have complete confidence that he will exceed all expectations.”
When Colombo first came to the RN-T as a copyeditor in 1988, he and his wife, Beth Colombo, had two young children.
As he worked his way up through the ranks — to city editor in 1991 and deputy editor in 1999 — they added two more children to the family he cherishes. Now, Michael is 32, Sarah is 29, Anthony is 25 and Joshua is 21.
Looking back on the news he’s covered over the years, Colombo said there’s no single big story that stands out. For him, it’s always been about the people.
“I would like to think the first time a kid caught a trout in Rolater Park, it was because his parents read about Kids Fishing Day in the Rome NewsTribune,” he said. “I’d like to think the first time a kid sat on his father’s shoulders watching the Rome Christmas Parade, it was because his dad read about it in the paper.”
A good community newspaper is a chronicler of its readers’ life events, he said.
“In the end, we are the local historians of the community and I am glad I got the chance to meet so many good people and give them a voice,” Colombo said.
He’s also confident he’s leaving the newsroom in good hands with Bailey as his successor.
“John has already played a major role in our news coverage. His thoughtfulness, organizational skills and level-headedness will be a big plus moving forward. I wish him and the rest of the staff the best,” Colombo said.
Bailey is married to Sally Hagge-Bailey, a teacher and artist. He has three children, Alexander, 7, Griffin, 5, and Eva, 23. The new RN-T managing editor grew up in Rome — a West Rome High School alumnus and graduate of Shorter College.
“I’ve been sharing many of the duties of editor with Mike for several years now so I hope for this transition to be pretty seamless,” Bailey said. “We’ll miss him. One thing I won’t miss, though, is getting whatever Beatles song he decided to sing while working stuck in my head for the rest of the day.”