It might be beneficial to the community if The Beachcomber would broaden its coverage of the community council to include a concise description of what its official role is and how it’s meant to serve the people on Vashon.

What, indeed, is the community council and what is it supposed to be doing for Vashon other than providing us with an entertaining weekly Punch and Judy show?

The short answer is that in 1994 King County created a Citizen Participation Initiate to give local communities in unincorporated areas a larger role in King County’s decision-making process.

Our community council is one of six Unincorporated Area Councils. Its role on Vashon is create a forum for public discussion of important issues on Vashon and then to present the will of the community to King County and influence its decisions.

Isn’t it time to recognize how critical the community council’s role is on Vashon?

I’m not sure many know, including, sadly, some who serve on its board.

— Michael Masi