Seven Days co-editor Jeff Good is leaving the Burlington weekly to return to the New Hampshire-based Newspapers of New England, he told staff this week.

Good will serve as executive editor of the family-owned company's four western Massachusetts papers: the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Recorder, the Amherst Bulletin and the Valley Advocate. Prior to joining Seven Days in October, Good served as editor of the company's Lebanon, N.H.-based Valley News.

"The job I found myself doing at Seven Days was a lot like the one I did 13 years ago as a news editor learning how to juggle story assignments," Good explained. "At this point in my career, I'm most interested in going deep, working on big-picture management and writing projects. That's what this new job offers."



Good said he'd also hoped to find more time to write at Seven Days. He said his new gig will allow him to pen a reported column.

Seven Days publisher and co-editor Paula Routly said she was "disappointed" by the news, but understood that Good "is a big-picture guy and this is a hands-on, in-the-trenches position."

"He was hoping to be able to write, to strategize big stories — but the reality of this job is you walk away from your desk, and you've got 40 unread emails when you get back. That's not what Jeff wanted to be doing for the next 10 years," Routly said. "Everyone really enjoyed working with him — and I think he felt the same about us — but it just wasn't a good fit. We're disappointed, of course, but it's understandable."

Good's last day at Seven Days will be April 8. His new job starts May 5. Routly said she's seeking a replacement for Good.

Meta-disclosure: Both people written about and quoted in this story are, um, my bosses.