The only constant in life is change. The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council is no exception. Throughout its decades of existence, it has taken many forms, with many different people meeting many different challenges. 

Perhaps the largest change was the creation of the Citizen Participation Initiative (CPI) in 1994, whereby King County established an official network of Unincorporated Area Councils (UACs), some from pre-existing groups (such as the VMICC), some entirely new, to act as official advisory bodies and informational conduits for the unincorporated areas of King County. But official, recognized status brought with it an obligation to comply with a bevy of laws and regulations, including the Open Public Meeting Act and the Public Records Act. 

With galvanizing, polarizing issues such as the rezone of the K2 building and disputes over the nature and requirements of the VMICC, these laws became central to a poisonous battle for the heart and soul of the organization. 

An entire board resigned, and a subsequent board member (acting as a private citizen in this endeavor) officially demanded another to turn over an extensive list of documents and correspondence. The members of the council either left in droves or stayed and fought, with battle lines being sharp and the issues at hand often taking a back seat to the deeply personal and emotional nature of the dispute. Ultimately, the back-and-forth led to an unsuccessful motion to remove the board member seeking public records.

The council became less about what people were for, and more about whom they opposed. Government officials became involved. 

First, State Sen. Sharon Nelson sponsored unsuccessful legislation to exempt UACs from public disclosure laws. Some county officials supported Sen. Nelson’s bill, and the County Council moved to eliminate the official status of the UACs. It is unknown whether the County Council’s initial action was motivated by concerns about the Public Records Act, but the County Executive’s subsequent counter-proposal — a complete overhaul of how the county reaches out to its unincorporated areas —  certainly was, to a significant degree. That proposal, which would end the UAC’s official status as a conduit between unincorporated areas and King County, has  passed the County Council’s budget committee and is slated for consideration by the County Council as a whole on July 5. 

The VMICC has offered no official response and strongly admonished its board for doing so proactively. A number of council participants, past and present, have urged the county to remove the official status of the council, and some have begun work on an alternative organization.

Meanwhile, amidst all of this legislative maneuvering, the VMICC on June 20 voted to contract the size of its board of directors, reducing it from nine board member to just its five officers. Some might view this as nothing more than the removal of a board member by technical means, changing the board size but not the tone of the council going forward. I hope this is not the case. I hope instead it is a move to assert not only authority, but collective responsibility for the council as well.

I’m not writing to celebrate, lecture or chastise but, rather, to ask a simple question: What do you want from your council? It is yours to own and direct. You have demonstrated that. The remaining board cannot do this for you but is willing to do this with you. They, too, have demonstrated that. There is much change at hand, including our purpose, rules and relationship with the outside world. 

This change will continue, with or without our participation. I’d prefer that we have as much say about it as possible. There seems no doubt that we desire a body where the issues of the Island can be discussed and even acted upon. That body exists and simply awaits those with the fortitude to show up and stand for things, not merely against each other. I intend to seek an agenda for the July 18 meeting centered on discussing what the council wants going forward and how to get there. Will you join me? 

It may be a campaign slogan, but we truly can be the change we’ve been looking for.

— Tim Johnson is president of the VMICC board of directors.