Co-op News • Sept. 2013
Special Election Section Vote in the Board of Directors Election • Sept. 3 thru Oct. 15
By Kate Lancaster Nominating Committee Chair
I
t is hard to believe it is election time again! This year there are three open seats on the Co-op’s Board of Directors. One seat is designated for an employee member and two seats are open to the general membership. We have three members running for those three seats. The employee member, Kelly Boehms, was elected by the Co-op employees in July and now must be ratified by the general membership. Steve Suttell is running as an incumbent, hoping to serve a third term. His work as Chair of the Finance Committee and on updating our Administrative Code has helped keep the Board focused on the big picture. New to the Board of Directors scene, but not new to the Co-op, is Jessica Unmack who has been a member since 2008. You can learn about these strong candidates in this Special Election Section or on our website (www.northcoastco-op.com). We have one director leaving the Board this year, Melanie Cunningham. As a previous Chair of the Nominating Committee and Vice President, Melanie has contributed a great deal to refining the election cycle and the General Manager evaluation process. She will be stepping down to focus on her growing organic farm and family. We also had one employee director leave the Board earlier this year. On behalf of the Board, I thank each of them for their contributions over the years.
As current Chair of the Nominating Committee and a fellow member-owner, may I take this opportunity to encourage you to vote in this upcoming election? Although it may seem that your vote does not matter since there are only three seats open and three candidates, let me tell you why I think it is still important for you to vote. Unlike many businesses, the Co-op is member-owned. The Board has a fiduciary responsibility to the members that we take very seriously as well as a responsibility to all our stakeholders. Your vote represents your involvement in this very important process and demonstrates the trust you have that the elected members will represent you. In addition, our bylaws state that an election is not valid unless 250 or five percent of the membership (whichever is lesser) cast ballots. New board members will begin their three-year term at the Annual Membership Meeting on Saturday, October 19. New board members will be seated and the new Board will elect officers. With officers in place, your Board will be well equipped to get right down to business at their first meeting on November 7. What will be the Board’s focus this coming year? It is a big year, with many strategic decisions ahead of us. The management team developed a budget that, if met, will result in a profit; we’ll be keeping a close eye on the results. There will be the evaluation of the General Manager who is keeping us well informed on the big issues. You’ve heard before about the 5-year strategic plan – a rough draft has been presented and the final one should be completed by the Co-op’s Annual Membership Meeting in October. The strategic plan will guide how the Co-op directs its energy –you have already seen the move to offer more local and GMO-free products. There is also the Union contract, on which the Board will have final approval. In addition to the coming year’s priorities, the regular responsibilities of a Board member keep us engaged and active. We each chair a committee, some of which are ongoing while others are short-lived to fulfill a special need. We each also serve on another committee. For example, I chair the Nominating Committee and also
serve on a committee tasked with refining and coordinating the General Manager evaluation process. We attend monthly Board and quarterly Finance Committee meetings. In addition, we attend board training sessions, the Co-op’s Annual Membership Meeting, and numerous other Co-op events where we represent the Coop. We approve the budget, are informed of personnel matters, and take turns writing for the monthly Co-op News. Most importantly, we consider the interests and concerns of all the Co-op’s members. Day-to-day operations are entrusted to our outstanding management team and talented, enthusiastic employees; our focus is to ensure we are operating in alignment with the member-approved bylaws. Which gets me back to why I encourage you to vote. Our values are encompassed in the following statement: “Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.” I invite you to help us ensure we uphold these values by participating in the election process. On behalf of the Nominating Committee, thank you for being a member of the North Coast Co-op.
Here’s how you can meet the candidates: Candidate Statements Each of our three candidates was asked to write a short statement describing why they wish to serve on the board and their unique qualifications. Their statements can be found in this Special Election Section of the Co-op News, on our website, and will be posted in each store near ballot boxes.
Video Statements Each candidate was offered the opportunity to record a short video statement, affording them more face time to share their unique experience and perspectives with you. These are available for viewing on YouTube and are well worth watching. Find the link on our website.
Candidate Forum Your Board also hosted a Candidate Forum in August. A series of questions was posed to each of the candidates in turn, and their answers are available for you to check out on YouTube. You can find the link to the forum video on our website.
www.northcoastco-op.com
E D I INS ents m t a t S e t a • Candid l Ballot a i c i f f O • Guide g n i t o V • ership b m e M l • Annua g Meetin
Meet the Candidates Voting Takes Place Sept. 3 thru Oct. 15
Steve Suttell
engaged in voluntary environmental stewardship. I found their ties to the land and their outreach to non-ranching and governmental organizations within the community fascinating and personally encouraging. I feel like my education and time spent at HSU was valuable in many ways but as someone new to the area I found the connections I gained to local people and organizations within the community most valuable. Before purchasing our first home a year ago in McKinleyville we had brief thoughts of moving back to Alaska, however the sick feeling I got in my stomach to the idea of leaving the Co-op would not allow us to move back. We were officially hooked. From the cooking classes and community involvement to the availability of ne of the main reasons my husband and fresh organic produce and local meats and the I moved to Humboldt 5 ½ years ago gluten-free and non-GMO choices, leaving the with our two small children was to be closer to sources of locally raised grass-fed beef, Co-op was not an option for my family. While I have had little direct experience working on a community supported agriculture and seasonal Board of Directors I can contribute my passion farmers markets not readily available to us in for the Co-op and its mission, previous experisoutheast Alaska. I’m pretty sure the second day ence coordinating federal grant monies in a in town we became Co-op members. Living in Alaska I attended a small liberal arts college and non-profit setting, and successfully engaging and working with a variety of community members. earned a degree in Ecology focusing on local plants and rural entrepreneurship. After receiving I’ve been a dedicated member of the North Coast Co-op for over five years and would love the opmy undergraduate degree, I worked for several portunity to contribute my energy and enthusiasm years with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, a local Native government organization coordinating feder- at a more involved level; to work to insure that al grants to assist in documenting traditional uses the Co-op maintains its dedication to its current of plants with elders and organizing community- members and that it stays viable into the future wide traditional food events and potlatches. When for members who have yet to discover how great our twins were born in 2007, I put work on hold. it feels to shop local and be more connected to their sources of food. Thank you for considerWe were encouraged to move to Humboldt ing my candidacy for the Board of Directors. at the suggestion of local friends in 2008 and in 2009 I was accepted into the Environment and Community Masters program at Humboldt State University, excited to be discussing connections and interactions of people to their environments again. While several others in my cohort were researching food systems and added their knowledge and passion for food justice issues to class discussion, I found my research focus in a group of ranchers actively
Member # 20298
Member # 9932
I
t has been my pleasure and privilege to serve on our North Coast Co-op Board for the last five years. I have extensive background in finance that has been very useful in acting as the Treasurer. I also have a passion for localizing our food sources. I am constantly amazed by how dynamic it is to be a Co-op board member. A wide variety of issues, concerns, opportunities, and challenges are commonplace and require an open-minded, creative and thoughtful response. I feel I have the qualities necessary to fulfill the obligation and responsibility to address current and future agendas. We have a cohesive board. The board members work well together; never hesitating to disagree or look more deeply into an issue. The results are often refined decisions that are a good fit with cooperative values and preserve the culture of our Co-op to the greatest extent possible. We have a lot more to do with respect to enhancing our local foodscape. Finding a way to advance local food production with an emphasis on cooperative values is one area that I will strive to achieve in the future. Implementing the strategic plan going forward will do a great deal to further my shared and personal goals for the future.
Jessica Unmack
O
Meet the Candidates Voting Takes Place Sept. 3 thru Oct. 15
Kelly Boehms Employee Director Candidate Member # 22844
City, Missouri, and have a B.A. from the University of Kansas City Missouri in Environmental Science. From an early age, I was shown the value of whole foods and plant-based nutrition. My stepmother is a prolific urban gardener and amateur beekeeper. My very first job was working in the produce and wellness departments at a small natural foods market in downtown Kansas City. From 2007-2009, I served as a City Coordinator for the San Francisco and San Diego Greenpeace offices, and had the opportunity to attend multiple national community organizing and direct action trainings. Before working for the North Coast Co-op, I worked on a number of small organic farms and goat dairies. I believe I can bring to the Board a practical knowledge of the retail organic grocery landscape, and a commitment to social and food justice. Why do I want to serve on the Co-op board of directors? As the mother of a two year-old, it is often difficult to face the realities of the toxic
H
ello. My name is Kelly Boehms. I have worked for the North Coast Co-op since 2011, first in the Eureka Produce Department, and currently as an Administrative Assistant in Human Resources. I am originally from Kansas
world in which we live. The Co-op has the unique opportunity to push back against the corporate monsters that are consuming our culture. The North Coast Co-op serves an incredibly valuable role in our community. We are the most important access point for fresh, locally produced, non-GMO, dairyfree, gluten-free, wholesome, ethically produced, grass-fed, and fair trade foods in Humboldt. The Co-op is also an invaluable resource for education, and an important forum for community connection. I would love to serve our membership and to help ensure that we are moving in a direction that best represents their interests, as well as the interests of the community at large. I believe that everyone deserves the right to be respectfully heard, and everyone deserves access to healthy food. The Co-op is a Humboldt institution. We owe it to the farmers and families of our community to move forward on a proactive, responsible path! Thank you for your consideration.
OFFICIAL BALLOT Please read voting guide on back page before casting your vote. All three lines below must be filled out and legible in order for this ballot to be valid.
Member Number (Required)
Signature (Required)
candidates in this section. More than two votes in this section, write-in or not, will invalidate this ballot.
All ballots due by Oct. 15 at 5 pm 2. There is one open Employee Director seat.
Affirm (yes) or reject (no) the candidate elected by employee members.
Jessica Unmack Fold this section in second.
(Printed Clearly, Required)
Director Seats. Vote for up to two
Fold this section in first to retain anonymity.
Full Name
Steve Suttell
1. There are two open Member
Write-in Write-in
Kelly Boehms
yes no
Voting Guide
Watch the Candidate Forums www.northcoastco-op.com
Sept. 3 thru Oct. 15
Votes will be considered valid if all of the following apply: 1. M embership with the North Coast Co-op is current as of September 4, 2013. 2. V otes per ballot cannot exceed the number of open seats. 3. Ballots must include the member’s name written legibly, their member number and their signature. 4. W rite-in candidates must be current members of the North Coast Co-op and agree to candidate requirements (list available at Voting Table). In the event that more than one otherwise valid ballot is cast by the same membership, only the ballot of the first name on the membership will be tallied. Electioneering will not be allowed within 100 feet of the ballot boxes at the stores.
Ballot boxes are located near the front entrance in each store. Ballots may be dropped off at ballot boxes in either the Arcata or Eureka store or mailed to the address shown on the back of the ballot. The Nominating Committee will count the votes and notify the membership with in-store signs within one week. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. Election outcomes will be announced at the Annual Membership Meeting. New board members begin their terms that same day (see right).
Get to know your candidates as they answer your questions in video forums
40th Anniversary
Celebration & Membership Meeting Sat., Oct. 19 • 5 to 10 pm Arcata Community Center
WINE
DINE
MUSIC
HAPPINESS
est. 1973
Election Results Announced • Free for Members
More information in the October issue of the Co-op News
All ballots due by October 15 at 5 pm Return your ballot to the provided ballot boxes available in both store locations. You may also place your ballot in an envelope and mail it to:
Thank You for
Voting!
North Coast Co-op Attn: Nominating Committee 811 I Street Arcata, CA 95521
Be sure to fold your ballot in thirds along the guides to retain anonymity.