Dean Sullivan - 2024 Citizen of the Year!

I am very pleased to nominate DEAN SULLIVAN for Citizen of the Year, 2024.

Dean moved to Los Osos about 1970 when his mother, artist and writer Joan Sullivan discovered the town through a plein air painting workshop.

After arriving, Dean went to work for one of the large corporate newspapers but soon discovered when he was helping swamped staff members in a different department that was against corporate policy. The idea of not being able to be helpful where there was need was so disturbing to him he started saying to coworkers that he “should start my own paper.” The decision was made when the first person suggested that he should.

So he did.

Dean loves being an integral part of the community and serving it and the paper is his way to do that. He knows it’s an important community service – from providing a resource for advertisers to reach people in need of goods and services to supplying local relevant and trustworthy reports on current events to (maybe most importantly to him) covering kids and families and individuals who make up community.

At one point, decades ago, he made several decisions that became a significant personal expense in order to keep the paper operating. He prioritized keeping alive a publication for the community over his own self-interest.

In an era dominated by the flashing headlines of national news outlets and the rapid-fire tempo of social media updates, the humble local newspaper remains a steadfast pillar in small communities across America. While it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of global events, the stories from our own backyard often have the most profound impact on our daily lives.
To Los Osos, the Estero Bay News is more than just a publication. It is a chronicle of history, a platform for dialogue and, most importantly, a binding force that weaves together the fabric of the community.
Dean and the Estero Bay News are committed to preserving local stories: In the expansive landscape of news, the milestones of small communities are often overlooked and overshadowed. Dean’s endeavors ensure that the achievements of our local schools, the milestones of community members, and the challenges and triumphs faced by local businesses get the attention they deserve.
Because of Dean’s commitment to fostering community engagement his paper provides a platform for dialogue. The opinion and letters sections give our Los Osos residents a voice, encouraging them to engage in local issues, propose solutions and express concerns.
While most people might not think of the economics of the Estero Bay News, but our local businesses rely on the Estero Bay News for advertising and for announcing achievements, awards, expansions, etc. In return, we, the community, are informed about local services, sales and events, which helps stimulate the local economy.

The Estero Bay News has always encouraged readers to support local advertisers who make the paper possible. That message goes out to local residents, certainly, but a large number of readers are visitors to the area.

During the year Dean and the paper sponsor a number of events and promote many more which can be drivers of economic growth. Local organizations like Celebrate Los Osos rely on Dean and the paper to get the word out about events, needs, fundraisers, etc. When we needed over 100 volunteers to paint the Red Barn or to replant the median, it was Dean’s paper that made sure the word got out and people volunteered. During a recent fundraiser to purchase new tables and chairs for the Red Barn, it was Dean’s coverage that made the event incredibly successful. Many other local organizations tell the same story.
It’s local journalism—like the Estero Bay News— that is crucial in holding institutions and officials accountable. Dean and his team attend county meetings, water board sessions and other pivotal gatherings, ensuring that decisions affecting the community are made transparently and responsibly.
While we all have the ability to read national and international newspapers on-line, none of them will ever show the little details or the photos that make a small town great, like Jason Tewell of Rexall wearing an Easter Bunny suit while delivering a basket filled with delicious treats to a new widow.
The Estero Bay News is the repository of stories, traditions and events that shape our community’s identity. It captures the spirit of local festivals, highlight the tales of residents who have made notable contributions, and paint a picture of the community’s past, present and potential future.
However, with the rise of digital media and the challenges faced by print journalism, many local newspapers are at risk. While the industry’s landscape is evolving, the necessity for local news remains constant. It is imperative for community members, business leaders and local governments to recognize the unmatched value these publications offer and support them.
Dean has never made money with the paper and struggles from time to time to keep it going. But it’s his commitment to our community that he continues.
While the world grows ever more connected and global stories beckon for our attention, let us not forget the silent heroes of journalism. The Estero Bay News remains, the heartbeat of our town – providing a sense of place, purpose and unity in an ever-changing world.
We’re in an age of flux within media. The large papers are often beholden to corporate ownership and those that do not face economic constraints. Social media has the same issue, though it’s not as obvious. Changing algorithms make consistency with an audience on social media very difficult. Consistency and trust are at the core of community. Because the Estero Bay News is a reliable resource for objective information that affects our daily lives it plays an important role in giving people the sense that we have a community, which Dean takes very seriously.

Reliable reporting of both news, events, government policies and changes, and community stories, is a vital component in keeping a sense of community alive. We already face an epidemic of isolation and loneliness, as well as biased and completely erroneous information. I think we need to battle those and grow trust wherever possible, and Dean’s newspaper is one way to contribute to that effort.

Although I have known Dean for decades, I don’t know much about the personal side of him. Beyond the paper Dean has always been involved with the community – often in the unofficial ways like helping with a school event or designing and creating a program for an event, he’s also been involved with several service organizations, been on the board of directors of more than one Chamber of Commerce, served on board and committees for organizations like the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, and others. But most of his work is quiet – just an offer to help a neighbor, family, or business with a need.

He started and has run (others did for a time too) the Baywood car show which is now the Oktoberfest car show. He’s worked on the Holiday parade for years until his pain limited his ability to help with the event.

Years ago Dean was seriously injured when a car ran into him as he was standing outside his own car. He has lived with constant pain since. I see him walking sometimes and I know he hurts. It would be easy for him to use the daily pain as an excuse not to do what he does. It has slowed him, certainly, he can no longer spend a day walking around to check in with businesses like he used to do regularly. Yet he will make sure he makes an appearance at community events/happenings, both to support the community and to make sure they get exposure within the paper.

Dean was involved with the New Times inaugural publication, the Los Osos Chamber in the early years, Oktoberfest and the old Junefest, He’s served on environmental organization’s committees, has volunteer-photographed/video’ed events for many local non-profits and has been part of a wide array of things within the community. But really, I think his life’s work has been the slow-but-steady work of a local newspaper and the community-building and sense of place it supports.

It’s always been really important to Dean to provide obituaries without charging high fees. He sees it as a community service – and that’s what really drives him. Serving the community he loves is one of the most important things to Dean. Obits are a small lens into that service. It’s very quiet – many people don’t know it until they have need to place an obituary – and it doesn’t afford a lot of public attention. But Dean has stood by that principle for decades – quietly charging nothing for what competitors charge thousands for. Because it’s the right thing to do.

So much of his other community involvement is similarly quiet. He is always there to offer a hand, sometimes just little things like taking trash bins out and returning them for his elderly neighbor, every week. He’s the one who makes friends with each new neighbor who moves into his neighborhood – and he loves them all.

He helps care for his elderly mother and his elderly uncle.

I believe Dean Sullivan should have been nominated years ago, and it’s for the above reasons that I am very pleased to nominate him now.

I believe Dean Sullivan should be Citizen of the Year 2024 because he sees, understands and informs us about what it takes to be the community we all love. It is no small thing to weave the fabric of a community together, but he has done so, admirably.

Sincerely,

Pandora Nash-Karner