Sep 13

Written by:
9/13/2010 8:09 AM 

  The meeting was a success. Facilitator John Runyan, a rumpled presence is sweats, tended to mumble but in action had iron control. It was Bernie O’Malley’s meeting, a fact he often had to re-establish with Bill Moyer.  Bill kept trying to spin what Runyan said. This was so friendly it could have been an act.

The program: Craig Beles dug out the history of the Council before and after unincorporated area status with special attention to the issue of public disclosure. Then Runyun broke us up into groups of four with instructions to find three things of interest, Then we reassembled to hear a spokesmanwoman report from each foursome. There were thirteen of which several had up to six due to latecomers. Then Runyan opened the meeting to individual beatings of the breast.

The presentation by Craig Beles was utterly fascinating. Dan Schueler has it on tape. Two grabbers: As to the need for total disclosure of memos, it is an opinion not a ruling; and Beles’ tacit view is that the Board could wiggle out of the corner into which Bangasser has painted it. The other grabber is that nowhere in the years covered did the dole of ten thousand dollars a year enter the story.

Not all that interested in how the council should be re-established I went mostly to find out who would show up. As they filed in I was struck by how few of the faces were familiar. Board members present and past were: Melody Woods, Hilary Emmer, Kyle Cruver, and John Stacek, who sort of replaced me. Bangasser was there, with a large three-ring binder open on his lap. Roger Fulton was there. Keith Putnam was there at ninety in shorts. Bob Powell whose water machine was taken back by the creditors was there. Lotus was there. Bob Spivey (SEEDS) was there. Jay Becker was there, bowed but alert. On the road coming in I passed a cyclist. She duly took the seat on my left. She once cycled from San Juan Island to Santa Fe. She was one of four people who spoke outside of the box. How few familiars! And there were only some sixty-five souls in all. I can add that I barreled to the O Space to be sure to get a good seat because I thought there would be around two hundred. I got there on the dot of 2 pm and had to shoulder my way past fifteen people to get a seat.

The tenor of what people said was want for a stronger council, given protection from [people like Bangasser]. The insert is my reading of the tenor. Lotus in her gentle way expressed the tenor most directly which drew from Bangasser his only speaking. The four who mentioned the more fundamental need for a “life-giving” council were two speakers I did not know, the cyclist, and me. One of the strangers was exceptionally eloquent in describing the kind of social leadership needed on Vashon. I was recognized with five minutes left. I said talk about governance was premature because there is no consensus on what Vashon really needs eg healthcare and jobs. In response to Runyan’s instruction to propose immediate action I said the first action should be to reconvene this group on issues, not governance. There was a scattering of hands in agreement.

Entre nous I guess I am either invisible or a pariah. When Bernie closed the meeting – saying it went exactly as he’d hoped – I hung around for two minutes hoping somebody would talk to me.

As I left I ran into Bill Moyer who was frantically setting up a sign-out table. He intends to reconvene this group before the 20^th, same agenda, promising to keep Backbone out of it.