The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council’s board of directors is struggling.

Jake Jacobovitch, the third board member in the last few weeks to do so, told his colleagues on the nine-member board Monday night that he, too, was tired of the acrimony. And so, after a dispute over which board member is responsible for picking up the mail, Jacobovitch tendered his resignation, and the council lost not only its president but a veteran of Vashon civic affairs.

We’ve been encouraging the board to work hard to bring a new tone and direction to its meetings. At this point, it’s risking its credibility and relevance; it stands to become a humorous sideshow, not a thoughtful body or force for change on Vashon

In a recent e-mail to The Beachcomber, one board member chided the paper for focusing on the various resignations. The paper, he said, should write profiles of those who remain on the board, thereby helping to create “momentum and intention.”

“No wonder only a handful of the community show up for our meetings,” he wrote. “The ongoing perception that The Beachcomber paints is that the community would be walking into a misery-fest each Monday evening.”

As we told this board member in our e-mailed response, the newspaper is not creating this perception. The events of the last month are. “Do good work. Stand up for what’s right. Make a difference. And positive stories will follow,” we told him.

It takes a while for a new group to find its stride. And this group, undoubtedly, is still trying to get its sea legs.

At the same time, board members have to make a conscious decision to focus on what matters. And according to some at Monday night’s meeting, board members discussed such weighty issues as whether it’s OK for them to forward board-related e-mails to The Beachcomber without prior permission and a motion — stemming from a request by Tom Bangasser — to create a committee to explore what Bangasser called the illegalities of the last few months, when Hilary Emmer was the lone board member. (The motion got voted down, 6 to 2.)

The community council is facing a leadership crisis. It’s time for this board to change its direction, and to do so quickly and profoundly. If it can’t, members of the community council — that would be all Island residents who are 18 or older — need to step forward and demand a change.

This body has a rich and storied history on Vashon. Let’s do all we can to see it get back on track and continue the good work of years past.