By Caitlin Rothermel
On June 20th, I listened in to the Vashon-Maury Community Council meeting. It completely grabbed my attention. Topics included the electric undergrounding proposal being presented to Puget Sound Energy, the planned Thunderbird drug rehabilitation facility, and the status of the Vashon Health Care District. If you didn’t attend, and are interested in these local issues, definitely watch the meeting on YouTube.
The V-MCC is one of the few places where you can still be part of “real-world” community talk about Vashon issues. Compared to social media talk, real-world talk is more to the point, and usually more respectful. I have missed it.
The first Vashon community board was founded in 1933 as a groundwater protection committee. It evolved over time into the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council (note the somewhat different name). That Council stopped meeting in 2010 due to an “increasingly adversarial” environment, and arcane barriers to participation, like requiring board members to understand state administrative codes and the approximately 500-page-long “Robert’s Rules of Order.”
In late 2020, the Council was started again, with a revamp of policies and procedures, options for members who could not attend live meetings, and ultimately, the dissolution of the old organization and a business refiling, with the name changed to V-MCC.
I recently spoke with Diane Emerson – V-MCC board president and one of its “re-founding” members – to learn more about how the V-MCC works, and where it is at, organizationally.
I met Diane ten years ago. Our family had lived on Vashon for just under a year, and in autumn 2014, Diane co-hosted (with Doug Dolstad) a Permaculture Design Course on Vashon, based on the “gift economy.” I found a way to take two weeks off from almost everything else (leading to some short-term household tension). Ultimately, we met people and learned new things that positively changed our life here.
I mention my story because it illustrates the kinds of things Diane makes happen: They can be challenging, they have lasting good impact, and anyone can come. Today, Diane wants to ask you to get involved with the V-MCC.
The V-MCC is at a pivotal point in its development – its members have worked hard over the past few years to put workable structures in place. For example, the V-MCC meetings are organized, tech-merged, interactive, and on-time – not a small feat. The clunky “Robert’s Rules” have been replaced with the “Democratic Rules of Order,” a streamlined system focused on ensuring equal participation. Most meeting time is dedicated to discussion and voting on key issues. And each meeting’s agenda is timed, so members can show up for the most relevant parts.
According to Diane, “We are in a good place where we can talk and quickly address big issues that come up.” A good example is the V-MCC’s “PSE Activity Advisory Committee,” established to understand the PSE tree wire project and its implications for Island property owners. Most recently, the committee petitioned PSE to investigate underground wiring on Vashon.
It is easy to become a V-MCC member – just visit their web site at https://www.v-mcc.org/contact. Once you’ve joined, you might take the next step and become part of a committee. Of greatest benefit, you could consider becoming one of 12 board members (5 positions are currently open).
A critique leveled at the V-MCC regards the validity of a non-elected community council. Is it fair that King County and other organizations perceive the V-MCC as representing Island-wide interests, since only a fraction of residents engage?
It’s true that the V-MCC is a participatory community forum, not a representative body. But the more its membership increases, the more representative it will become. Every Islander is invited to join. It’s also true that the V-MCC’s participatory structure rewards those who put in the time and effort to understand and consistently advocate for their issue, not the loudest or most well-funded voices in the room.
V-MCC meetings are held on the third Thursdays of the month (7:00 to 9:00 p.m.) at the Land Trust Building or via Zoom. The meeting agenda and background information on the issues being discussed, are posted on the V-MCC website about 10 days before meetings. If you are on the V-MCC mailing list, this information will be sent to you, along with the Zoom link. Get on the mailing list so you can look at the agenda each month at least and show up when it really matters. It’s not all or nothing.
There is no July meeting, so August 15th is the next date. However, the V-MCC will have a booth at the Strawberry Festival. If this article has made you V-MCC-curious, that would be a great time to stop by and chat.
[Editor’s note: There were some small errors in this article. The first Vashon Community Council was started in 1933; the Groundwater Protection Committee came later, but started as a Community Council committee. The current Community Council was restarted in early 2020.]
