Plain Dealer publisher Terrance C.Z. Egger will retire from the newspaper shortly after the first of next year, Egger announced today.

“I will be 55 this week, and while it has not been an easy decision to leave a career and industry that I love, I am excited about starting a productive next phase in my life,” Egger said in a note to Plain Dealer staffers.

Egger joined The Plain Dealer in May 2006 as publisher, president and chief executive officer, overseeing the policy and operations of Ohio’s largest newspaper.