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After more than four years as publisher of the Weatherford Democrat, Jeff Smith announced plans to retire Nov. 3.

After much consideration, my wife and I have decided it is time for a major change in our lives, Smith said. The decision to retire was based on a combination of things, but family played the largest part.

Ive got sons and grandkids on both coasts and now Ill have the freedom to spend more time with them.

Smith started his career in advertising sales in the yellow page industry. After 15 years with Trader Publishing he moved into the newspaper industry as the Automotive Advertising Manager with the Fort Worth Star Telegram in 2006.

He joined CNHI, the parent company of the Weatherford Democrat and Mineral Wells Index, in August of 2008 working on their digital sales team as the automotive specialist.

In 2011 he became the companys Director of Training and Development working with the organizations sales teams.

In April of 2013 Smith was named senior publisher of the Weatherford Democrat and its two sister publications, the Cleburne Times Review and Mineral Wells Index. In addition to those responsibilities he was also named the Regional Sales Director, overseeing the sales activities of the 12 CNHI papers in Texas.

CNHI has been wonderful to me and my family, providing us with several great opportunities, Smith said. I am very grateful to them. It has also been one of the great experiences of my life to operate these newspapers.

The managers and staff in all three locations are terrific. They are loyal, dedicated and hardworkingin what has increasingly become a challenging environment.

Throughout his 30-plus years in newspapers, Smith has seen many changes in the industry.

Much has been written about the future of newspapers and even in the relatively short time that I have been here we have seen drastic changes in how news is consumed, he said. Five years ago, 25 percent of our online traffic was mobile ... now it is 75 percent. Upwards of 50 percent of consumers claim they get their news from social media. Our industry will certainly have to adapt to these trends because it will continue to evolve.

Regarding the current climate and opinion of the news media, Smith said the Democrat and Index are not immune to the criticism.

We have fielded our share of complaints regarding both our opinion page and our hard news coverage, he said. It seems more and more that people only want to read or hear what supports their personal opinion. Because of the extreme polarization it has become much more difficult to strike a balance that is acceptable.

I am very proud of our local news coverage, Smith continued. While many of the things we uncover are uncomfortable for the community to learn about, it is our job to report what we find. You can expect that to continue. We take our watchdog role very seriously.

Those guiding principles sometimes will come at a cost, Smith said.

More than once we have lost advertising dollars because a story hits a little close to home. It is unfortunate that some customers cannot separate the two but it happens and it is certainly their prerogative to do so. That risk is always present but will not deter us from our purpose of reporting accurate and necessary information to the good people of Weatherford and Parker County.

As the news industry continues to evolve and reinvent itself, community newspapers will continue to play a vital role in a city like Weatherford, Smith said.

Smith has also observed the growth and advancement of Parker County during his tenure.

As a community, Parker County has grown and we are absolutely in a position to rapidly go to the next level, he said. Theres strong leadership here, especially in the business community. I think that will position the county positively for the growth to come.

Were no longer a sleepy little county.

The development of the papers Community Advisory Board will help the Democrat to evolve along with the community, Smith said.

Im proud that weve initiated a community advisory board... thats the first step toward becoming more relevant in the community.Our advisory board members have been candid yet supportive in our role here.

Staff members have also played a large part in supporting him, Smith said.

Ill miss them ... everybody works really hard, he said. Ive watched our editorial staff mature and become better writers.Our sales staff, business office staff and circulation are very dedicated, in spite of the everyday challenges they face.

Im not sure I couldve lasted this long without the people in this building.

While Smith may be retiring from the newspaper industry, he will not be idle, and plans on maintaining the community connections he has made, including involvement with Careity Foundation and membership with Rotary Club of Weatherford.

[Careity and Rotary] are some of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of being involved with, he said.

On the business end, Smith also planson developing a consulting firm that will allow him to use his skill set in the medical revenue industry.

I am cursed with a high level of energy so doing nothing just wont work, Smith said. This new business will allow us the freedom to spend more time with family.

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Democrat publisher Smith to retire - Weatherford Democrat