Members of the Coupeville Town Council didn’t exactly stand up to Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley last week.

True to his word, Dudley showed up at the council meeting to urge the members to boot their colleague, Councilman Bob Clay, from the Island Transit board of directors. He argues that a complete turnover is needed on the board of the troubled agency, which has sizable financial and public-relations troubles.

Clay and the other council members waited until the end of the meeting, after Dudley and his posse were gone, to criticize him for his Oak Harbor-style chutzpah. They all seemed to agree that Dudley’s actions were inappropriate. Clay called him a bully.

They were right.

It’s simply not Dudley’s place to tell elected officials in another municipality how to do their jobs. Dudley himself has been criticized by Oak Harbor council members for wasting money by unwisely firing people.

You didn’t see Coupeville officials showing up to criticize Dudley.

And yet, Dudley represents a lot of people in the community who are understandably alarmed by what has happened at the agency. He has some good points, though his message is obscured by his confrontational technique.

It all made for great theatrics. But it also diverts much-needed attention from the real issue at hand, which is guiding the vital agency securely on the road to recovery.

The members of the Coupeville council must decide for themselves what — and who — is best for the agency.

Neither politics nor personalities should enter into the equation.