At a meeting of the North Otago branch committee of the historic places trust last week, Mr Mitchell, who has been its appointee to the civic trust for about four years, was replaced by Graeme Clark.
They were the two nominations for the position.
North Otago branch chairwoman Carol Berry said yesterday Mr Clark was elected after a secret ballot.
Mr Clark is the North Otago branch's deputy chairman.
The historic places trust, under the civic trust's constitution, appoints every two years one member of the civic trust's board.
Mr Mitchell yesterday maintained he continued as the historic places trust appointee until the next annual meeting of the civic trust, scheduled for March next year.
However, some other members of the civic trust board are not so sure about that, and it is to be discussed at the board's meeting tonight which Mr Clark is likely to attend.
Mr Mitchell said yesterday his replacement as the historic places trust representative was "still in process".
He regards himself as the historic places trust appointee to the civic trust "until the historic places trust process is completed".
"My term [as the historic places trust appointee] ends at the next annual general meeting of the civic trust," he said.
In April, Mr Mitchell was re-elected chairman of the civic trust for a six-month term and new board member Phil Hope was elected deputy chairman.
They were to swap roles from October 1.
Under the civic trust's constitution, the historic places trust appoints one representative to the civic trust board from the "annual general meeting" but it is not clear which annual general meeting that refers to - the historic places trust North Otago branch or the civic trust's.
That leaves debate over whether Mr Mitchell has been replaced now, or continues until March next year.
