Letter to the Editor: Island governance is in tatters


January 25, 2011 · 11:45 AM

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Unable to attend Monday’s Vashon-Maury Island Community Council meeting, I must rely on what I have read and heard, the substance of which deeply concerns me. It appears that the witch hunt of one board member continues, and no other board member is stepping in to stop it, as this body spirals down from a dysfunctional revolving door of new faces to a destructive body focused on the past — such is the perception at least.

When Tom Bangasser’s Jan. 6 Public Records Act request of Emmer was deemed personal by a board member, that was flat wrong. The request itself states that “it relates to your official position as an officer and/or board member of the [VMICC].”

Where are the board leaders, and where are the followers who will end these senseless vendettas? When will this board abide by its own operating policy to, among other things:

. Represent the interests of the entire community.

. Limit the issues brought to the VMICC to those that affect the entire community. Avoid private concerns unless they have broad community implications.

. Be a leader in representing the changing needs of the Island.

This board was left a blueprint for moving forward from the VMICC forums of 2009 and 2010, where Islanders voiced their concerns and issues were prioritized. I have not seen it moving forward with this mandate. It would be a sad day when VMICC members (all of us over 18) would feel compelled to exercise our rights of board member removal, as provided for in the bylaws.

— Ellen Kritzman

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