Note: Following the original publication, the Prineville Review obtained a copy of Beeler's resignation. The bottom of this story reflects our updates to this reporting. We have left the majority of our original story as published before the release and additional information surrounding the resignation.
Prineville, Ore. – Crook County Library Director Sarah Beeler has abruptly resigned, leaving the library’s board of trustees and staff with unanswered questions about the circumstances of her departure, according to details uncovered from a September public meeting.
Beeler reportedly submitted her resignation and retirement in late August or early September (this was later confirmed to have been effective immediately on August 27th, as outlined in our update below).
County Manager Will Van Vactor informed the Library Board of Trustees of the resignation during its Sept. 11 meeting, praising Beeler for her service and calling her a leader who had “left big shoes to fill.” He told trustees the county would issue formal announcements only after “plans are formalized for moving forward,” and said some details could not be shared publicly because they related to personnel matters.
Trustees pressed Van Vactor for more information. Board member Natalie Good asked why trustees had not been made aware of the difficulties Beeler was facing. “If we’re to help support our staff and move forward, I would at least like to know what were the barriers Sarah was facing, the challenges that we were clearly unaware of,” she said. She also asked whether Beeler had proposed initiatives that county administration opposed. Van Vactor responded that Beeler had referenced the Juniper Canyon project in her resignation letter but said such an effort would require broader community leadership, according to its Sept. 11th meeting minutes.
Other trustees voiced frustration about being left out of staffing decisions in recent years. Board members said both changes underscored the lack of communication between the county and the library’s governing body.
Board Chair Michael Stremme told the Prineville Review the resignation came without warning. “[Beeler] was great. She was very dynamic. She was very forward-thinking… but it did catch us by surprise,” he said. “Typically, it’s known in advance. So yes, in fairness here, I think that’s why there was still some surprise.”
Stremme noted that turnover has been frequent at the library. “One of the staff told me she’s been there 15 years, and this is like the fifth [director] they’ve gone through. Sarah was there a little over two years,” he said. Asked what might have motivated her decision, Stremme said he could not speculate but believed Beeler may have simply decided it was time. “My heart says it was probably just an issue of, ‘I’m tired and I’m done.’ I don’t think there’s anything subversive here. I just think it was time for her to go.”
The Sept. 11th discussion also underscored the limited authority of the trustees. Stremme said the board’s role is largely advisory. “We don’t really do the hiring. We don’t do the firing — the county does all of that,” he said. The board participates in budget discussions and policy decisions, but hiring and staffing matters are handled by county administration and human resources.
Van Vactor said a trustee could be included on the panel that interviews candidates for Beeler’s replacement, but the final decision rests with the county.
The board also discussed whether it needed to have an “executive meeting” over the situation, but Van Vactor appeared to caution the board that its authority to hold an executive session as a public body was more limited under the law compared to a private non-profit board, as referenced by Stremme.
Van Vactor has recently led the development and implementation of new county policies stemming from a recent public transparency initiative by the county, including the passing of a new public meetings policy and guide that appears to be addressing systemic public meetings failures throughout Crook County government, many of which came to public light after reporting and challenges from the Prineville Review starting late last year.
Beeler’s resignation comes as the library continues to face staffing shortages and ongoing budget pressures. Stremme noted that libraries, like parks and recreation, are often among the first services affected by cuts. “The staff there are already running short-handed, and then there’s less money. I can’t speak for [Beeler], but that makes things hard,” he said.
The Prineville Review has requested a copy of Beeler’s resignation letter through a public records request. We also reached out to Van Vactor for additional comment and to better understand what the process would involve for the county to select a new library director, but have not yet received a response.
Update: Resignation Letter Released
Following our original reporting, Crook County Manager Will Van Vactor promptly honored our request for prompt production stemming from our public records request for a copy of Beeler’s resignation.
The letter sheds new light on the abrupt departure. In the letter, Beeler praised her time at the library, calling it her “favorite job ever,” but said she could not continue after realizing that her vision for countywide library services clashed with the direction of county leadership.
“After 35 years of public library service, I am confident a countywide library system that benefits all residents is the best way forward and I am not willing to compromise because it is easier or less expensive,” Beeler wrote.
She expressed sharp concern over what she described as a lack of commitment to rural library services, saying, “Once you get about 15 minutes away from the Main Library in Prineville, resident card numbers drop off a cliff. A healthy county library system should use half of the library’s resources on rural outreach.”
Beeler also suggested that Crook County Commissioners were not always receiving accurate information from county staff, citing the example of a lost grant for a backup generator: “This cost not only $164,000 for the backup generator, but it also cost between $500,000–$1,000,000 in future grant funds and it ruined a carefully cultivated relationship.”
Her letter closed with a firm rejection of the county’s direction: “I was told today to focus on library services at the Main Library in Prineville. This is unacceptable as a county library. My last day is today. I will close at 7 p.m.”
The Prineville Review has requested comment from Crook County Manager Eric Van Vactor regarding Beeler’s assertions, but has not yet received a response. The full resignation letter is linked here.
The letter also confirmed that Stremme was fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the resignation (as he was included in the email from Beeler), despite having not revealed that he received a copy of Beeler’s resignation in August. We have not yet confirmed if Stremme had shared this resignation letter with other Trustees, despite it being a public record shared with him.
The letter also did not appear to say anything regarding the decision, which the county had characterized more as a “retirement”, although it does include a claim from Beeler that other staff were looking at “retiring from their current positions.”
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject mater expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
