Realizing the community council that fell apart in 2010 was a crucial link between the island and the county, a group of islanders has decided to try to revive that link by creating a replacement.

In 2010, the nine-member Vashon-Maury Island Community Council (VMICC) was strong and active, but it met its demise when the members chose to resign amid what some called frivolous public records requests by islander Tom Bangasser.

While the council was formed with the best intentions in mind, and as a way to bring the county’s attention to our small rock in the sound, local real estate broker Emma Amiad said at a meeting last Monday that it was defeated by its structure.

The move to revive the link to the county is a huge step in the right direction for the community, and a smart move by the islanders who realized the need for it. Last Monday, the group of concerned islanders met at McMurray Middle School with the intention to brainstorm about the future of the council. They quickly determined that the structure of the council was the problem and that something similar would not work. Amiad became the most vocal and suggested abandoning the idea of a council and stripping away any titles or suggestions of bureaucracy. She suggested a neutral group of islanders be formed to organize quarterly meetings addressing relevant topics. She stressed that county resources and representatives would be made available and that the link the council created with King County would be preserved.

The idea is an extremely viable and simple solution to the problem. Without titles and official names and councils or committees, the new suggestion means that the focus could be on islanders and getting them the resources they need, not on the hierarchy of the board members. Amiad said the new oversight committee would consist of “only three to four people,” and would be “relatively easy to set up.”

“If we set four dates a year, one in each quarter, with three (recurring) themes and one for more momentary concerns, it will take minimal organization,” Amiad said. “We could structure it, with input from King County, so that we still meet whatever minimal requirements they have to keep the communication and cooperation door open with them.”

While the suggestion of a neutral group organizing forums is still in its very early stages of brainstorming, the idea is one that can work.

As plans for the new group arise and pieces come together, be on the lookout for chances to contribute and help the group decide the direction to go. Former VMICC president Tim Johnson said he and Amiad will be meeting in the next couple of weeks to further discuss the plan.