Moving On or Creating a “New” Park District?

Scott Harvey was upset by my February 26th commentary about Vashon Park District (VPD).  So upset, he felt the need to create his own public response, in  addition to talking with me personally (however, I called him to make that connection) and making it an agenda item at our meeting.  None of the other commissioners had this reaction.  True, my article was not reviewed by the commissioners prior to me publishing it (I wasn’t hiding anything; I just didn’t think what I said was controversial among our board).

But, I stand by what I stated.  Every point I made has a majority of commissioners that has voted to support that point of view.  In previous boards I have been on, when the majority votes, that is the direction in which we move.  It is unproductive to publicly spin a personal view if it won’t be moved forward.  For example, the board passed a 2014 budget that included finishing permit work on the VES fields.  That is a fact.  We do “expect to complete that work this year”.  We can change it by a majority vote, but Scott’s personal (and minority) view that we should not complete the work doesn’t help us right now, and creates a lot of “noise”.

My other two points I focused on (#1 - paying off VPD debt and creating a cash reserve; #2 - improve our efficiency in the area of park maintenance, or “address maintenance needs,” as Scott put it), Scott, and the majority of the board, agree on.  So why write an entire column stating your singular position, when it would seem more beneficial to support VPD in moving these initiatives forward?

I agree with Scott that the decisions we make in the next 90 days or so will help determine if we are “moving on,” as I put it in my commentary, or delivering a “’new’ park district,” as Scott describes it.  I look forward to working with him, and my other commissioner colleagues, together to get there.

Lu-Ann Branch
VPD Commissioner, Position #2
Chair, Vashon Park District
Vashon Island Resident and Taxpayer