NEWPORT — The Newport City Council has voted unanimously to hire Tiffany Johnson, an assistant counsel with Lane County, as its city attorney.

The move comes eight months after the previous city attorney, David Allen, was put on paid administrative leave and then terminated without cause pursuant to his contract. In February, the city council contracted with Local Government Law Group of Eugene while it worked to fill the vacancy.

Allen had worked as the city of Newport’s attorney since 2020 and before that served as a city councilor.

The city council unanimously approved the employment agreement with Johnson after holding an executive (closed) session Monday night.

In addition to her time in Lane County, Johnson has worked as a deputy city attorney for the city of Portland, worked for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Columbia County counsel’s office, the Washington Department of Ecology and served as the co-chair of then-Gov. Kate Brown’s Racial Justice Council. Johnson holds a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School and a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Barbara.

According to the employment contract, Johnson will be paid $165,000 a year and will begin work Aug. 25.