A new publisher and editor have been named at the Democrat-Reporter, the newspaper that gained national attention this week after its publisher wrote an editorial calling the Ku Klux Klan to “night ride again.”

After a meeting Thursday, Elecia R. Dexter, an African-American woman, was named as the paper’s new publisher and editor.

“We had a discussion yesterday and felt this was necessary to move forward. We’re hoping to move the paper in a different direction," Dexter told AL.com over the phone Friday afternoon. A call to the newspaper was answered by a man, who would not identify himself. He then handed the phone to a woman who identified herself as Dexter.

A press release posted on the news website for the West Alabama Watchman says her position became effective Thursday. The press release says Dexter graduated from Eastern Illinois University with her bachelor’s in speech communication. She also earned a master’s in Human Services from Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies and a master’s in counseling from Argosy University.

“Over the past 10 years, she has been a strategic leader with expertise in human resources, operations and change management,” the press release said. “Ms. Dexter is coming in at a pivotal time for the newspaper and you may have full confidence in her ability to handle these challenging times.”

In this Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 photo, Goodloe Sutton, publisher of the Democrat-Reporter newspaper, speaks during an interview at the newspaper's office in Linden, Ala. Sutton, who advocated for a revival of the Ku Klux Klan in a newspaper editorial, is turning over control to a black woman. The Democrat-Reporter, announced Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, that Elecia R. Dexter is taking over as the paper's publisher and editor from Sutton. (Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)AP

Photos credited to Dexter have been posted the paper’s Facebook page. However, the paper’s website seems to no longer be active.

Dexter said the remarks made in the now-infamous editorial by paper owner Goodloe Sutton don’t accurately represent the community in Linden.

“We want to make sure people understand this is a great community of great families. We really want to make sure people know the paper is here for them,” she said.

Sutton told AL.com on Thursday he planned on leaving the newspaper soon.

“I am going to quit and do nothing, play tiddlywinks and chase lewd women. I just need to figure out what I’m going to do when I catch one,” Sutton told AL.com.

Readers of the Democrat-Reporter sent comments praising Goodloe Sutton's now-infamous editorial calling on the KKK to "night ride again." Many of those comments were published in the paper.

Efforts to reach Sutton for comment on Friday were not successful.

Sutton’s remarks led to Alabama congressional leaders calling on him to resign.