OLYMPIA – The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) announced that Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu recently moved into the position of AWC vice president. The vice president serves on the association’s board of directors and executive committee and is in line to become president.

“Washington’s cities and towns are diverse. AWC’s advocacy efforts emphasize what each of our cities have in common to build stronger communities, and AWC’s programs allow our city employees to focus on serving residents in the most valuable way,” said Putaansuu. “It is an honor to serve as vice president of the association.”

Mayor Putaansuu has served on the AWC board since 2018. Mayor Putaansuu was elected to the Port Orchard City Council in 2007 and elected mayor of Port Orchard in 2015.

The AWC Board of Directors is the association’s governing body. The Board is comprised of 25 directors, 23 of whom are mayors or city councilmembers from Washington cities or towns, and two non-elected city officials who also serve as the president and past president of the Washington City/County Management Association.

AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. Membership is voluntary. However, AWC consistently maintains 100 percent participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns. AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs such as the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Workers’ Comp Retro, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.