Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer apologized and resigned Monday, July 10 after spurring a public uproar and calls to step down for a yearslong series of hateful posts to a private police Facebook group, saying” “My online persona has become too polarizing for me to continue.”

“I now realize that some of my actions and my words have hurt people I love and care about,” Sawyer wrote to The Oregonian/OregonLive. “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.”

Sawyer acknowledged the posts and said they “do not reflect my values. It was wrong for me to belittle people with experiences different than my own.”

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported on Friday that Sawyer posted memes mocking immigrants, Spanish speakers and transgender women and encouraged violence against women and crime suspects on the Facebook group called “LEO Only.” OPB reported it had reviewed the memes – some dating to 2016 – but did not say how a reporter accessed them.

Reached by phone after resigning, Sawyer described his posts as “vile and dark, and I shouldn’t have gotten involved in it.” He was a Newport police officer for 30 years before he was elected mayor in 2018.

The law enforcement Facebook group has nearly 40,000 members and requires proof of an active or retired law enforcement ID to join, according to its page.

“It’s not free of speech, it was stupid speech,” he said. “I’ve lived in Newport for 47 years. Newport is my life, my love and my passion and it will always be that way.”

He declined further comment.

CM Hall, Newport’s first openly queer council member, called for Sawyer’s resignation Friday followed by a protest Saturday by about 70 people, including two former mayors and several City Council members, in front of City Hall in the central coast town of about 10,000.

Here is the full text of Sawyer’s resignation announcement:

“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 July10, 2023 at 9:00 AM.”