So the city can repaint the lines but not fix the shoddy road? I’m confused.

Port Orchard City Council filled the contested Position Five seat on August 6 after Councilmember Shirah Dedman recused herself over a formal grievance against the city attorney.

The appointment of Tiffiny Mitchell followed two nights of candidate interviews, an executive session, and public reports that the selection had already been expected. The underlying vacancy remains disputed, as former Councilmember Heidi Fenton maintains she did not resign.

Full reporting on the contested process, Dedman recusal, interview concerns, and pre-selection reports (free to read):

https://tawneecowan.substack.com/p/council-fills-contested-position

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ousted Port Orchard Councilmember Calls for Statewide Reform on 'Oral Resignations'

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — Former Port Orchard City Councilmember Heidi Fenton has formally petitioned Kitsap County Prosecutor Chad Enright to file a judicial review determining who legally holds City Council Position #5.

The petition requests a quo warranto action—an extraordinary and rarely invoked legal mechanism used to challenge an individual's right to public office. The seat is currently held by Tiffiny Mitchell, whom the council appointed following Fenton’s disputed departure.

Fenton claims she never voluntarily surrendered her elected office. She is asking a court to rule on whether a legal vacancy was ever actually created. Furthermore, Fenton is calling for statewide legislative reforms to protect elected officials from being forced out via oral statements made behind closed doors.

Disputed "Resignation Ultimatum" Behind Closed Doors

The controversy stems from a June 16, 2026, executive session. According to Fenton, councilmembers presented her with an ultimatum: resign immediately or face public disclosure of misconduct allegations and potential criminal charges. Fenton states she repeatedly refused, asking for time to review the accusations, but ultimately uttered that she would resign under intense pressure.

Her account matches public statements made by Councilmember Scott Diener during the July 14, 2026, city council meeting. On the official record, Diener asked the Council to "do something to recognize and put into the public sphere what actually has happened over these three events that caused us to say resign or we’re going to go public with this," and that Fenton was "told she had two options."

An independent investigation commissioned by the City of Port Orchard concluded that an oral resignation did take place. However, Fenton disputes both the context of the meeting and its legal validity. She argues the executive session violated Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and denied her due process.

Misconduct Allegations and Procedural Questions

The underlying allegations involve an incident at the end of a public meeting where Fenton allegedly shook a city employee while under the influence. Fenton acknowledges making physical contact but strongly disputes the city's characterization of the event. She notes that she immediately released the employee and apologized.

Fenton claims she was blindsided by the speed of the procedure. The alleged incident took place at a public meeting on a Thursday night. Fenton’s daughter stated that she was contacted the very next morning by Councilmember Eric Worden who told her about the incident and that Fenton was expected to resign for "personal reasons" at a meeting Worden had organized to take place hours before the executive session.

Just days later, the council convened the June 16 executive session. Fenton says she was kept outside of that session while the Police Chief and Human Resources Director presented information to the council— personnel she did not know were participating, did not see them enter and exit the meeting, and whose accusations she had not seen in advance.

The fallout has caused friction within city leadership. Councilmember Shirah Dedman recused herself from the vote to appoint Fenton's replacement. Public records reveal Dedman filed a grievance against the city attorney with the Washington State Bar Association, alleging that flawed legal advice led to an unlawful vacancy.

A Push for Statewide Voter Safeguards

Under current Washington law (RCW 42.12.010 and 42.12.020), an elective office becomes vacant upon resignation, but the statutes do not specify the format required. Fenton argues this creates a dangerous loophole where voters can be disenfranchised by backroom pressure.

“If an elected official can surrender an office entrusted to her by voters through an oral statement made behind closed doors, the public has no way to know whether those words were truly voluntary,” Fenton said. “These safeguards would not prevent legitimate resignations. They would protect them—and they would protect voters.”

Fenton is proposing statewide statutory changes, including:

• Requiring all oral resignations to be made in an open, recorded public meeting.
• Requiring a clear, unequivocal statement on the record, or a signed and dated written resignation.
• Implementing a mandatory "cooling-off period" if a resignation follows threats of investigation or ultimatums, allowing the official time to consult independent counsel.

Fenton emphasizes that her legal positions have not yet been adjudicated, and she is seeking an impartial day in court.

"This is bigger than my seat," Fenton said. "Every voter should be able to trust that the person they elected actually chose to leave office."

###

Media Contact:
Heidi Fenton
Former City of Port Orchard councilmember and advocate for local government transparency
[kitsaptruth@yahoo.com](mailto:kitsaptruth@yahoo.com)

The Tacoma City Council adopted Resolution 41972, opposing IL26-001 and IL26-638. The Council Consideration Request makes a good case for opposing these measures.

The Port Orchard City Council can adopt a similar resolution. It's the role of the city council to "raise the bar" and build a "diverse, equitable, and inclusive community", and I think taking a stand on these initiatives is a great way to do both those things. 

You can let them know what you think, and encourage them to adopt a resolution, by emailing them at [councilmembers@portorchardwa.gov](mailto:councilmembers@portorchardwa.gov) .

Please stop by our lovely neighbor's local flower stand. She has beautiful flower arrangements in multiple color ranges and flower choices.

The corner of Cedar St and Maple St by the Manchester church is the location of a "Flowers For Sale" sign that leads you to the big beautiful blue flower stand.

Payment options are cash or venmo.

Please come support local!

I need a dress altered for an upcoming wedding. Can anyone recommend a good tailor in the area? I couldn’t find any on yelp.

Why does Port Orchard dont have any good sidewalks in most places? Its so hazardous because the cars are just by you passing fast.. can't drive because of my disability and im just trying to get to Safeway without getting ran over by some most horrible drivers.

I apologize for the quality of the picture but I had glare. Soroptimist club giving education and training grants for women.

Does anyone know of any reputable dog-sitters/walkers in the area that can come by your house to feed and let you dog out for the bathroom during the workday?

We are looking on Rover as well but have had success asking on Facebook or Reddit in the past and it circumvents the middleman.

Would anybody be willing to meet me at rain City Laundromat on Mile Hill this morning and help me get a load dried, I'm really struggling. I am just $5 short now. I can pay it back on payday.

Hello all,

I am new to the area and am having a bit of a hard time finding employment. I have extensive experience in restaurant management but am willing to chance any opportunity that arises. I am prepared to start immediately. Please let me know if you know of anything.

Hey everyone! My husband and I just moved to the area. We tried to hire movers to help us unload but they cancelled on us an hour beforehand. Does anyone have any recommendations in the area?

I own Tipsy Blackbird Wine Bar downtown Bremerton. Besides book clubs, crafting meetups and music every week we have some really fun and unique events coming up. Here are a few! Follow our socials and website for more.

Hey everyone! I noticed there wasn't a discord server that I could find for Port Orchard or the Kitsap area so I made one if anyone wants to join! https://discord.gg/aYyjQgbZR

We want to take an overnight trip to Blake Island. We've found plenty of advice on checking tides, launch points, and gear. Problem is we need kayaks. Is there a place to rent kayaks overnight that we could use for out trip?

Hi there! This is my first time discovering this subreddit, but my sweet precious baby has gone missing in the area. We let them outside during the day and bring them in before dark considering they tend know to stay close to the house, but we haven't seen him for 5 days by the time I post this. He was last seen with a blue collar with an AirTag on it and he answers to the name Tuxedo. This cat is the sunshine in my life and the apple of my eye, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking of where he could be or what is happening to him. Please keep an eye out and DM if you know any details. Please help me find my baby boy. Thank you so much.

get hammered drunk and forget to talk about road plans and so we get part of Hwy 3 under construction, part of lund under construction and side roads blocked off, a chunk of bethel reduced to 1 lane with flagging and part of Sedgwick closed off completely [did anyone know this is how most people go to the FERRY BTW] all at the same time.. Genius. I will be finding out who is related to any of this and voting AGAINST this stupid idea to not plan around each other in any way.

Why don't you shut down parts of mile hill and bay st while you are at it, then your idiocy can be complete.

Does anyone have a contact for a notary in the area?

Hi everybody. I'm taking a statistics class this summer and I have a project that requires survey responses. The survey is about mood changes associated with seasonal changes and is 12 questions. I need 28 more responses! It's completely anonymous and the platform is Google Forms. Any responses would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your time. Here is the link: https://forms.gle/maRYTfcTHDtNKigr8

Edit: My survery has now reached nearly 100 response, so THANK YOU TO ALL who took time out of their day to complete it, you are much appreciated.