Three Islanders vie for seat on Vashon’s Community Council

The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council’s ex-ecutive board at its July 13 meeting will choose a replacement to Jolene Lamb, who resigned in May from the nine-member board.

The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council’s ex-ecutive board at its July 13 meeting will choose a replacement to Jolene Lamb, who resigned in May from the nine-member board.

Three Islanders are vying for the spot: Chris Beck, Lyman Houghton and John Staczek.

Beck, a 37-year resident of Vashon and legal investigator, photographer and potter, says her community involvement has recently centered around the latest Washington State Ferries proposals and keeping the library at Ober Park. She also volunteers at Vashon Community Care Center and teaches teens photography for Vashon Allied Arts.

Houghton has been an Island resident for 20 years. He says he played a leadership role in the community council’s heavy metal remediation committee and now is an intern for the King County Department of Parks and Natural Resources, focusing on project management at Dockton Park and Maury Island Marine Park.

Staczek, a management, communication and higher education consultant, has lived on Vashon since 2005. He is the treasurer of the Westside Water Association, an active member in the Island’s disaster preparedness efforts and a registered emergency worker, he says. He most recently taught business and global management communication at a management school in Arizona.

According to Hilary Emmer, a member of the community council’s board, the council’s bylaws require the board to appoint someone to fill vacancies. The board’s eight members will do so by way of written ballots; the person who gets the most votes — a plurality, as opposed to a majority — will win, she said.

“We decided this method at our last board meeting.  Our bylaws are silent on this issue,” she said.