Stephen George, editor of The City Paper since January 2010, has announced he is leaving the position.

“This city and this family of publications have been extraordinarily good to me,” George said. “Leaving is bittersweet, of course. The writers, editors and artists at The City Paper are top-notch, and they’ve done tremendous work in the past couple of years. I know they will continue to do so, and I have learned from them more than I can express.”

George came to The City Paper from LEO Weekly, the Louisville-based alt-weekly. (Both publications as well as the Nashville Post are owned by Nashville-based SouthComm.) He spent six years as a reporter and editor there before relocating to Nashville, where he also served as news editor of the Nashville Scene, a sister publication.

He will begin working as press secretary for U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., on Sept. 1.

“Stephen brings a much needed outside perspective to Washington,” Cooper said. “His experience will be invaluable to our operation. We are delighted to welcome him to our team.”

“Stephen brought a tremendous work ethic and news sense to all of the publications he edited,” said SouthComm CEO Chris Ferrell. “He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and readers alike. I wish him the best of luck in this new chapter in his career.”

SouthComm also announced Wednesday it has begun a search for a new City Paper editor. Web Editor William Williams will serve as editor on an interim basis.

SouthComm was formed in late 2007 to operate regional niche publications. The Nashville-based company also owns Nashville Scene, the Medical News chain of publications, NFocus and Her Nashville. In addition, the company owns Target Marketing and SouthComm Publishing, custom publishing companies serving chambers of commerce and other associations.