Editor Robert Moore to leave El Paso Times

Robert Moore, a longtime executive editor and advocate for El Paso, announced Tuesday he is leaving the El Paso Times.

Moore, who is serving his second stint as editor in El Paso, told staff members during a newsroom announcement that his final day will be Oct. 6.

Moore, 57, has been a champion of his newsroom and the local community.

During his 34-year career in journalism, Moore has earned numerous recognitions, including the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award from the National Press Foundation, the top national award for a newspaper editor.

“For most of the past 31 years, I have had the opportunity of a lifetime to serve El Paso and work with many, many remarkable journalists who shared a passion for telling important stories about a community we love,” Moore said.

“We have made a difference in our community each day of that journey, and that vital mission continues. I am so thankful for my colleagues at the El Paso Times and for the people of El Paso, Juárez and Southern New Mexico who have taught me so much about the uniqueness and beauty of our border region.”

Moore made the decision to step aside to preserve reporting resources after he was asked to make payroll cuts at the Times, which has eliminated several positions in the past year.

That includes a reporting position Tuesday and the departure of Lilia Castillo Jones, the president of the El Paso Times and several sister New Mexico properties, whose position was eliminated as part of a restructuring effort, according to officials.

Leaders of the USA TODAY Network, which includes the Times, said they will work quickly to name the newsroom's next leader.

“We have very big shoes to fill with Bob’s departure. I want to publicly thank him for his leadership and service to the Times and to the community of El Paso,” said Randy Lovely, vice president/community news for the USA TODAY Network. “We will work aggressively to identify a strong leader who will replicate Bob’s passion for quality journalism and public service.”

Moore’s career as a newspaper editor has been focused on transparency and on ensuring that government officials are held accountable. He also has focused on making sure that El Paso is recognized as being more than a U.S-Mexico border city.

“Bob Moore is one of the big reasons El Paso is a leading American city today," said U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso. "He forced accountability and excellence.”

UTEP President Diana Natalicio said El Pasoans are grateful for Moore's "abiding commitment to this community and to the opportunities that we all have to help shape its future."

"Bob Moore’s leadership of the El Paso Times and his thoughtful articulation of so many important issues will be missed," Natalicio said in a statement about Moore, who is a UTEP graduate. "His highly focused attention on such issues as educational access and quality has been critical to this region’s development."

Moore came to the Times from Colorado Springs in 1986 as night city editor. He later served as metro editor, assistant managing editor, managing editor and executive editor before being named executive editor of the Fort Collins Coloradoan in 2006.

He returned to the Times in 2011 as editor and led an investigation into a districtwide cheating scheme at the El Paso Independent School District that denied an untold number of students the right to a proper education.

He wrote editorials that served as a road map to removing the school board and setting the district on a path to recovery after former Superintendent Lorenzo García went to prison for his role in the scheme and in steering a no-bid contract to his mistress.

The Times’ school district coverage earned Moore the 2013 Burl Osborne Award for Editorial Leadership from the American Society of News Editors, first place in editorial writing from the Education Writers Association and recognition as Opinion Journalist of the Year by the Association of Opinion Journalists.

He also received the James Madison Award from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, the state’s most prestigious honor for advocacy of open government.

"Bob has been a voice for the community to hold a lot of elected officials accountable and pushed for what is best for El Paso as a whole," said John Baily, Texas state president for the Association of the United States Army and CEO for Tigua Inc. "He has been a great voice and unbending truth detector for the community."

Since his return to the Times, Moore also has led investigations that identified problems with governance at City Hall and again at the EPISD.

"Bob played a very important role during some of El Paso's most difficult and challenging times," County Judge Veronica Escobar said. "I appreciate that he built a strong community editorial board and was focused on building a strong El Paso."

Moore's achievements at the Times include organizing a gubernatorial debate between incumbent George W. Bush and challenger Garry Mauro and a lieutenant governor debate between Rick Perry and John Sharp. The 1998 statewide political debates were the first held in the border city.

Moore also led the Times coverage of the Gulf War, including the ambush of the Fort Bliss-based 507th Maintenance Co. in 2003.

"Bob has been a great supporter of this community. He and his wife, Kate, have been tremendously involved in this community," Mayor Dee Margo said. "I’m sorry to see this. It was a real shock when I heard about it. I’m kind of concerned about Bob and Kate, but I’m concerned about the El Paso Times."

Margo added, "We haven’t always agreed on every position, but I respect him immensely and we’ve always had good conversations."

Moore's other honors include the Mayborn Award for Community Leadership from the Texas Press Association, the Jack Douglas Award for service to Texas journalism and Star Opinion Writer of the Year for two consecutive years from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. He also won the School Bell Award from the Texas State Teachers Association for editorial writing on education for five consecutive years.

Moore serves on the boards of the El Paso Center Against Sexual and Family Violence and the United Way of El Paso County, where he chairs the Education Community Impact Committee.

He is a past president of the El Paso Child Crisis Center, the Colorado Press Association and the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors.

Deborah Zuloaga, CEO and president of the United Way of El Paso, said Moore's contributions to the community are immeasurable.

"He has been instrumental in championing so many important issues in our community," Zuloaga said. "It's such a loss, and I hope he stays in El Paso and continues to make an impact in new ways professionally."