VASHON
2015 – 2016
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015
Vol. 60, No. 20
Citing problems at the park district, islanders file to run for board
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TAKING THE PLUNGE
Two current commissioners will run again, and all three seats will be contested By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Seven candidates, including two incumbents, have filed to run for three positions on the Vashon Park District board. When the week-long filing period closed last Friday, the roster of candidates included current commissioners Scott Harvey and Bill Ameling, who are vying for Position 5 along with Peter Ray. Joe Wald, the current board chair, did not file to run again. In addition to Ray, the islanders who have stepped forward to serve the district for the first time are Rick Skillman, Karen Gardner, Bob McMahon and Joshua Weil. Skillman and Gardner are running for Position 1, the seat Ameling currently holds. Rick Skillman is a retired hospital CEO who said he filed for that position specifically to challenge Ameling. “I think he has contributed a great deal, and I think it is time
to have someone else there,” he said last week before Ameling filed for a different position. Skillman stepped up, he said, because of problems at the district, noting that he did not want to place blame, but to acknowledge issues Final levy and move ahead. results “We County certihave lost fies levy elecpublic tion, which trust in passed by fewer than 20 the park votes. board and its ability See page 18 to manage resources,” he said. Speaking to his ability to oversee a budget, Skillman said he has an MBA in finance and that his last CEO assignments were at hospitals that were struggling financially that he was able to help turn around. SEE PARK DISTRICT, 19
Crystal Culp Photo
In one of the island’s chilliest annual fundraisers, nearly 20 courageous souls ran into the water at Jensen Point on Saturday afternoon, some of them dunking entirely underwater. “If you’re brave, you dive in,” said Ava Apple, director of the Vashon Senior Center, which held the so-called Chicken Plunge for the third time last weekend. “My son made me dive,” she added. “It’s adrenaline that gets me through it.” The event, which participants collected donations for, raised about $1,200 for the senior center, funds that Apple said will help with the nonprofit’s shoestring budget. Still, Apple said she wished more islanders would participate in the Chicken Plunge. She was unsure if the low numbers this year were a reflection of the busy weekend, with many other events scheduled on Vashon, or if it simply showed that people weren’t interested in jumping into Quartermaster Harbor. Many who did take the plunge were senior center members or board members. “There weren’t many young people,” Apple said. “That’s good for us, right?”
Mukai dispute continues, with open house a backdrop to fight in court Activists secure control of house, but other side appeals By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
A sign advertised an open house at Mukai last week.
The legal battle over the Mukai Farm and Garden continues, as Texas resident Mary Matthews works to prevent a group of Vashon activists who recently won in court from taking control of the historic property. Last week Matthews came to Vashon and quietly held an open house at the property, much to the chagrin of the group of islanders who have for weeks hoped she would transfer the property to them. “We are not going away,” said Glenda Pearson, a Friends of Mukai board member who expressed frustration last week over the prolonged dispute. “We’ve said that from the
beginning. … The end game is to save the property. That’s all we really want.” The Friends of Mukai celebrated a major legal victory last month, when King County Superior Court Judge Monica Benton ruled that the group of islanders had legal control of Island Landmarks, the nonprofit that owns the house. The ruling left Matthews, who has been highly criticized during her time at the helm of the nonprofit, and other former board members no longer affiliated with the organization or the property. However, Matthews’ party — which includes former board members Nelson Happy, Owen Ryan and Ken and Ellen De Frang — recently appealed that decision. They also argued for a stay, a legal action that would allow them to retain control of Island Landmarks during the appeal, which could take six to nine months. SEE MUKAI, 12