There was a time when the Vashon-Maury Island Com-munity Council took on important business on Vashon.

Twelve years ago, it provided some of the funds Sharon Nelson needed to determine if there was arsenic in the soil at the Glacier mine site, a precursor to the work that ultimately led to the purchase-and-sale agreement that promises to put the property into permanent protection.

A decade or so ago, it was one of the lead plaintiffs in a suit against Tim Eyman’s initiative that ended the state’s tax on car tabs.

This last iteration of the council’s board — which was just hitting its stride when nearly all of the board members resigned en masse five months ago — was also establishing its relevancy, hosting forums on tourism and recycling, diving into substantive debates on the location of the Vashon Library and tackling questions about our Island’s critical ferry service.

Now, the newly elected community council board stands at an important juncture: It could again establish itself as a relevant forum for community discussions, or it could devolve into debates over process, providing some fun political theater but getting nothing of any import accomplished.

The new board had its first meeting Monday night, and it’s impossible to know which way it will tilt. On the one hand, there was considerable focus on process and protocol. On the other, at least one member — AnnaLisa LaFayette — put forward a substantive issue she’d like to work on — Vashon’s complete absence of services to victims of domestic violence.

It’s unfortunate that the last board resigned. It was made up of some accomplished civic activists, people with a demonstrated track record, who knew how to get things done.

But that doesn’t mean this new board can’t do the same. Some are very new to this kind of civic involvement; some have considerable experience. They could come together nicely, combining their fresh perspectives and seasoned experience in a meaningful and substantive way.

The real issue — as Mary Shackelford points out in her thoughtful column on this page — is what’s in their heart: Did they join the board to accomplish or obstruct? Do the care first and foremost about the Island and its future? Or is this a way to strut, sound off and take political shots.

We urge its members to consider what it is they’ve agreed to — to shepherd and direct a beautifully unwieldy form of town-hall style engagement. And we suggest they worry a little less about Robert’s Rules of Orders and a little more about content, civility and common sense.