Newport mayor announces resignation after offensive, hateful memes come to light

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Newport's mayor, Dan Sawyer, resigned Monday after it came to light that he had been sharing offensive memes in a private law-enforcement-only Facebook group.

After Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported on the memes Friday, there were immediate calls by local government officials and the community for his resignation.

According to a release by the City of Newport, the memes Sawyer posted were "offensive memes regarding race and gender" and they were posted over several years.

Over the weekend, the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners released a statement condemning the mayor's actions and stating their focus on the diverse community that calls Newport home.

"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. We unequivocally condemn those posts, which belittled and dehumanized the most vulnerable of our friends and neighbors."

Monday morning, Sawyer released an apology and announced that he would be stepping down immediately because of his actions.

"I am sorry to everyone in this community and anyone hurt by my actions, directly or indirectly," Sawyer said. "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."

The resignation is effective as of 9:00 a.m. on Monday.

The Newport City Council is holding a special meeting Monday to address the situation.

Stay tuned with KOIN 6 as we follow the meeting and bring you updates.