Newport mayor resigns after accusations of ‘hateful’ Facebook posts
By Web staff
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NEWPORT, Oregon (KPTV) — Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer has resigned following accusations of “hateful rhetoric” memes posted to a private law enforcement-only group on Facebook.
According to a report released Friday by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Sawyer has posted to the group since 2016 after serving as a Newport police officer for 30 years. He was elected mayor in 2018.
Following the report, multiple Newport City Council members, two former mayors and Newport residents rallied this past weekend and called for the mayor’s resignation.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners also released a statement which says in part:
“As elected officials representing a richly diverse community, we are disturbed and saddened by Friday’s news report that Mayor Dean Sawyer of Newport has for years posted hateful, racist, homophobic, transphobic and violent “jokes” to a private Facebook page.”
Their statement went on to say the board supports Newport’s diverse community and they condemn the mayor’s behavior.
Sawyer’s resignation letter, obtained by FOX 12, is below:
“I am sorry – in its simplest and sincerest form. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve this community for the past several years. Being a member and leading this community has been one of the better periods of my life. I have made Newport my home for over forty years and I only ever meant to make it stronger and better. I wanted to make it a better place to live for everyone. But I now realize that some of my actions and my words have hurt people I love and care about. This is something that I take full responsibility for. I am sorry to everyone in this community and anyone hurt by my actions, directly or indirectly. The posts I made and the humor I engaged in do not reflect my values. It was wrong for me to belittle people with experiences different than my own. I understand that many of you are upset, angry and confused by my actions. You have every right to be. In my public decision making I always strove to do what was best for Newport. While I am proud of some of our achievements, at this juncture it is clear that my online persona has become too polarizing for me to continue. As I step down I hope to hasten the process of healing for the uproar I have caused. I hope and pray for the next administration to continue improving our great community. I know it will be a while, but I hope to have the opportunity to listen to and learn from the various people I hurt, and over time, mend fences. From this point forward I will pray, meditate and ponder about how I can be a better agent for good.
At this time I would like to announce my resignation as Mayor of Newport effective July 10, 2023 at 9:00 AM.”
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