Editor who inspired debate will be missed
Other than Ohio’s governor and Columbus’ mayor, few people in this town take more daily thumpings than the Dispatch editorial page editor.
Glenn Sheller has been taking a beating for 14 years from one side or another of the topics on which we editorialize. By the time you read this, he will be a day away from leaving that life for one with far less stress and virtually no angry calls or emails from the public.
We will miss his steady hand and the calm, thoughtful approach he has taken while setting the tone for our opinion pages. And we appreciate all that he has done here to offer opinions on behalf of the Dispatch Editorial Board. More important, we are grateful for the conversation his work inspired among our readers and in the community.
Anytime anyone takes a firm stand and offers an opinion, he or she becomes a potential lightning rod for criticism. So it might seem ironic that the Dispatch’s lightning rod has been someone who seeks no attention for himself.
Sheller wrote an occasional column, but he was far more comfortable writing unsigned editorials. He gave an occasional speech when asked, because he saw it as a part of the job, but he didn’t seek out such engagements. Instead, he sought to engage readers through the 560 words, give or take, that reflect the daily opinions of the editorial board.
Some people might see editorial writing as an easy endeavor — like sitting on a bar stool or in the Oval Office and uttering opinions that may or may not be rooted in fact. Actually, writing effective editorials takes careful, sometimes time-consuming research and reporting to be sure the opinions are soundly supported by facts.
So a good portion of Sheller’s days here were filled with phone calls and reporting. He also worked with his colleagues on the editorial-writing staff, Barbara Carmen and Herb Grant, to plan and schedule personal interviews with community leaders and candidates for public office.
And he served as sounding board and editor to Dispatch cartoonist Nate Beeler as he formulated ideas for his daily lampoons and laurels.
Sheller led the weekly meetings of the Editorial Board, which include editorial writers, the publisher, the editor and occasional guests. Over the years, those guests have included everyone from local volunteers seeking to make a difference in their neighborhoods to presidents of the United States seeking a Dispatch endorsement for re-election.
Bradley M. Harmon, Dispatch president and publisher, said that Sheller’s thoughtful perspective and leadership around our opinion pages will be missed. Harmon also said that we will continue to provide a thoughtful approach to key issues affecting central Ohio.
“As we start our search for the next editorial page editor, we will keep in mind those traits, along with the need for diversity to better mirror the growing, evolving region we serve,” he said.
Sheller treated all with respect and listened to their pitches and impassioned pleas for attention and support.
Sometimes, the resulting editorials went their way. Other times, they did not. And while the editorial position might not have been the one they had hoped for, even those who lost their arguments typically could say they had a fair hearing.
And Sheller can take satisfaction in knowing that even when folks were upset with an editorial, the suggestions and recommendations in those editorials at least sparked healthy conversation in the community. At most, some of them inspired people to take action that led to changes in business practices or public policy that improved life for central Ohioans.
We know that Sheller will not miss the daily thumpings. We also know that we and many of our readers will miss him in the editorial page editor’s chair.