By CC Stone
For The Beachcomber

It seems like much ado about not much to most islanders. Even after all the hubbub, the attendance at Vashon Park District board meetings is rarely over 20 people. A disinterested public means park commissioners often make decisions about millions of dollars of public money with little oversight or input from the community. As veteran park commissioner Bill Ameling so astutely remarked in The Beachcomber in August of 2012, “Most people on the island don’t know what’s going, and they don’t care.”

At a recent park board meeting, commissioner David Hackett (who has run unopposed twice) asked VES fields project foreman Mike Mattingly, “What about my lights, Mike? What’s going on with my lights?” Mr. Mattingly broke the news that it was going to cost around $80,000 just to get power to the new stadium lights — not including the lights themselves — fixtures, bases or bulbs. In fact, in 2011 it was estimated that nine stadium lights would cost approximately $180,000, according to Vashon Park District minutes.

Without overwhelming public outcry, we may get those lights. They’re the cherry on the sundae of the VES athletic fields project that Mr. Hackett has championed since his first meeting as a newly elected commissioner in 2005.

If they come, they’ll come at the expense of maintenance at other parks. They’ll come at the expense of park users, through increased fees and decreased services. They’ll come, even if it means that local contractors might not get paid in a timely manner for work done for the district. They’ll come after local people lose good jobs and neighbors feel forced into litigation that they can ill afford. They’ll come because we’ve got the park district we deserve because collectively we stopped paying attention, and we didn’t think it mattered.

It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to be a park commissioner without a passion for a particular piece of the park district’s operations. Unfortunately, if all we have are commissioners who represent one park or project, we’ll have million-dollar decisions being made not in the best interests of the larger community or the park district as a whole, but for the sake of someone’s special interest.

What’s needed now are at least three smart, conscientious people with a willingness to provide balance and common sense to the Vashon Park District. There are three positions to fill this November. Three is the number of votes needed to make decisions on the Vashon Park District board. Three people can make a huge difference. It doesn’t get any more grassroots than right here, at the park commissioner level, on our little island. It’s participatory democracy, my friends, and sadly, it takes work to make it work right.

For anyone with an interest in local politics, this is a great entry level position. For anyone who’s in favor of financial accountability, it’s a wonderful opportunity to serve your entire community. And for anyone who’s ever fumed about the government wasting taxpayer dollars, this is your chance to actually do something about it. You can register to run between May 13 and May 17.

For more information, see www.kingcounty.gov/elections/candidatefiling.aspx.

There are concerned citizens who are ready to contribute time, money and talent to help good candidates get up to speed and get elected. Please contact former park commissioners Truman O’Brien (Truman.obrien46@gmail.com) or Carol Ireland-McLean (cim@centurytel.net) if you have any questions, want to discuss your possible candidacy or have someone you’d like to nominate.

— CC Stone is a community activist and close follower of the Vashon Park District.