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Council debates removing vice president after unauthorized mailing; motion given first reading
Summary
Council members discussed a board recommendation to remove VMCC vice president Nicole Anya after she used the VMCC email list on April 5 to distribute a Beacon Initiative message; the board recommended removal and the council received a first-reading motion that will be taken up again at the next meeting.
The Vashon-Maury Community Council spent an extended segment of its May 21 meeting addressing use of the council’s membership email list by board vice president Nicole Anya.
President JC Graham read a memorandum describing the April 5 message Anya sent on the VMCC list and recounted the board’s May 7 action recommending her removal from the board and removal as vice president. Graham said the board’s recommendations were unanimous except for Anya, who did not vote. He opened the floor for members to discuss possible council action, stressing the council would follow bylaw procedures.
Multiple members expressed concern about sharing the mailing list and the legal and trust implications of an officer using the list for an outside organization. Member Mike (speaker 13) summarized what he saw as the core issue: “She knew that she needed the permission of the board to use the mailing list and came to the board and asked for that permission, didn't receive it and took the action anyway.” Several speakers urged humane treatment and noted Anya’s past contributions and current stress; others urged accountability and risk mitigation if access were retained.
At the end of the discussion, a motion to remove Nicole from the board of directors was made (mover: Ike) and seconded (second: Mike Dawson). Under VMCC procedure, substantive motions are introduced at one meeting and voted on at the next; the chair characterized this as a first reading and said the council would consider formal action at the June meeting. The board had already voted to remove her as an officer; removal from the board requires council action and a 0.667 majority across two meetings.
The transcript also records actions the board planned to take in the interim: send Nicole a form to confirm destruction of mailing-list copies, draft an apology letter to the mailing list, and prepare a certificate of appreciation for Nicole’s past service.
No final removal vote occurred at the May 21 meeting; the motion will be resolved in a subsequent meeting when the council takes final action.
