Kenneth Svanum, president and publisher of MediaNews Group’s Marin Independent Journal, resigned Monday (Aug. 28) after 11 months, citing “family medical issues that will need my full attention.” Svanum, 57, is a native of San Rafael and a veteran newspaper executive who began his career in Marin, according to this morning’s IJ. Svanum joined the IJ’s advertising department in 1969 and rose to national advertising manager by 1978, the story said. Three years later, he became retail advertising manager before being appointed advertising director. In 1985, when the New York Times Co. acquired the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Svanum left to work there as advertising director and stayed for 14 years. He was publisher for about a year at the Santa Barbara News Press before becoming publisher of the Star-News in Wilmington, N.C. in 2001. He was named the IJ’s president and publisher in September 2005.