Former Oregon state rep. appointed to vacant PO council seat

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 7, 2026

Former Oregon state representative and current Port Orchard planning commissioner Tiffiny Mitchell was unanimously appointed by the Port Orchard City Council Aug. 6 to fill the vacant Position No. 5 seat.

Mitchell will serve the remainder of the term through 2027. She was previously a state representative in Oregon’s District 32 from 2019-2021 and has served as a PO planning commissioner since 2024.

The other candidates who were interviewed for the position were former Port Orchard City Councilmember Cindy Lucarelli, Cami Lewis, Jewel Shepherd-Sampson, Port Orchard Planning Commissioner Paul Edward Fontenot, Wayne Wright, Mark Lewison and Lisa Williams Floyd.

The vacancy was created following an oral resignation by former councilmember Heidi Fenton in June, which garnered some backlash from the public regarding the legality of such a resignation. The matter has been investigated by the city as Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu sought legal counsel from Hillary J. Evans of Kenyon Disend. Putaansuu was not present at the city council’s executive session when Fenton gave her verbal resignation.

The investigation included interviews with councilmembers, Fenton and her attorney, along with a review of the June 16 study session video. The report notes that Fenton made an effort to rescind her oral resignation the next day. “There is no general legal requirement nor any legal requirement specific to Port Orchard requiring that resignations be written in order to be effective,” Evans’ report says. “Thus, a clear verbal resignation can be valid.”

The full report can be found on the City of Port Orchard website.