Now that our ballots for the April 28 special election have arrived, we face an important decision about the future of the Vashon Park District. Whatever camp you’re in — whether you support the levy or not — another weighty decision will soon be before us: The question of who will govern our park district. Three of the five seats will be on the November ballot. The deadline to file to run for one of the three positions is May 15. We need strong, thoughtful, civic-minded people to step forward and run. Without that, all this hand-wringing over the levy will be for naught.

The park district’s director, Elaine Ott, has done an excellent job taking an agency that was in sorry shape and turning it into a place that again boasts a spirit of professionalism. She’s a smart, considerate executive, and we’re lucky to have her at the helm. But governance continues to be a significant problem at the park district. In recent years, park board meetings have been marked by strife, tension and, at times, incivility. And despite Elaine’s leadership, our park district continues to ail.

We urge islanders who care about the future of our park district to work with us in finding well-intentioned, civic-minded people to serve on the board. A strong executive director and an adequate levy are not enough. For our park district to once again thrive, to work with islanders to set priorities that serve the wider community, we need a new set of commissioners who will provide vision, direction and vigilant oversight to this important public resource.

— Leslie Brown and May Gerstle