Sep 14

Written by:
9/14/2010 7:45 AM 

Bernie O’Malley provided a framed forum last Sunday on island governance, while the Beachcomber has been providing a somewhat more loosely framed forum. In consequence Sunday produced a consensus while the Beachcomber has provided insight. Compare for example Craig Beles top notch history of the Council with Emma Amiad’s succinct take on the nature of the Council (see Letters). On balance I find the Beachcomber far more useful than the O Space production, primarily because print blows away speech. Bite my tongue, the consensus reached Sunday is a solid step forward. But how do I get to again hear & understand some of those remarks?

Onward now, chastened somewhat in my backhanded support for Bangassser by Carl Sells’ thoughtful letter, onward into this one-way forum which has yet failed to entice comment, onward to epiphany.

What went wrong? Did an individual throw a monkey wrench into a working machine, or was a failed system outed? A review of Sunday and the Beachcomber shows the predominant answer to be that it was the monkey wrench. You find very little criticism of the Council. The only criticism I found is one letter saying the Board should have just handed over some more memos and braced its upper lip. Well, menwomen, the monkey wrench was thrown into a failed system.

Since I started attending Council in 2007 the Board has consistently ducked vital issues in which there was any potential for controversy. Sure, the members are volunteers, sure, their work has been completely free of self interest, sure, the Board has initiated and followed through on a few vital issuers. But where has the Board been while Preserve Our Island had burnt out two leaders and battled on? Where was the Board when the K-2 plant could have become a factory of vital goods for island use? Where has the Board been as Vashon has slid into an anemic bedroom community that plugs the roadways with cars? Where has the Board been as drug use by the young has increased? Where has the Board been as healthcare has been hijacked by Wall Street? Huh? Not a concern for Vashon? Say that again, I believe I do not understand. Rising cost of poor healthcare is not a concern for the Community Council to address? Oh, yes of course, I forgot, there is nothing we can do about healthcare. And finally, where has the Board been as the United States has become the world’s leading killer of civilians? Not our concern? Sweet dreams, Vashon.

Council attendance has decreased over the years. And now Bangasser has chopped off the asymptote. His reasoning is almost irrelevant. What is relevant in the extreme is for Vashon to face its vital issues.