Your co-op, May 2006

Notice of 2006 ballot counting meeting

Votes will be counted at a public meeting as follows:
Wednesday, May 31 at 6 p.m.
PCC co-op office
4201 Roosevelt Way, N.E.

Please call Janice Parker at 206-547-1222 or email janice.parker@pccmarkets.com if you would like to volunteer.

Vote now

PCC annual board election April 26 to May 26

Voting has begun in the 2006 annual election. Our members will elect three board members and a new nominating committee.

There are five candidates vying for three board seats: incumbents Don DeSantis and Julie Tempest, along with Janet Hietter, Steven Reisler and Stephen Tan. The special election insert inside this issue of the home-delivered Sound Consumer contains your ballot and features biographical information and campaign statements from each candidate, as well as a candidate Q&A that should help your deliberations. Look for the candidates as they campaign in the stores.

The insert also contains information on the candidates for the 2006-2007 nominating committee. They are Eva Childers, Kim Norton, Paul Schmidt and Deanna Theiss.

All of the election materials will be available in the stores and on our Web site throughout the election. Voting began on Wednesday, April 26 and ends Friday, May 26. See the election insert or online materials for balloting details.

PCC board elections: “I just don’t know who to vote for…”

by Kim Norton

I often hear this sentiment echoed by PCC members when asked to participate in the board election. Before I ran for the board, I felt the same way — not only did I not know any of the candidates, I simply didn’t understand what the board did, so I felt uncomfortable voting.

Having now participated on both the board and the nominating committee, I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes and read up on the candidates and vote for one primary reason — the board matters because it represents YOU.

The board matters because this is a cooperative, and it’s YOUR cooperative. While it’s true that the CEO manages our stores, it’s important to remember that our board writes policies that guide management in day-to-day decisions. The policies are based on the board’s legal and fiduciary responsibilities and the long-term vision for your cooperative.

Your co-op impacts your community and your way of life. Food is so integral to our everyday lives, to our well-being, to our community, to the environment and to our local economy that the impact of PCC is very broadly felt. PCC makes a tremendous difference in so many ways as a leader in the Puget Sound region.

So, please, take a few minutes to educate yourself by reading up on the candidates in our election insert and by talking to the candidates in the stores this month, and most importantly, vote. As a member of this co-op, it’s your voice, your opportunity, your right and your responsibility.

Kim Norton is a former member of the PCC Board of Trustees and chair of the 2005-2006 nominating committee.

Each month, folks like Greenlake deli lead Jack Kunkel (pictured with board member Reed Schilbach) prepare tasty deli treats to sample during our Talk to the Board events.

PCC Talk to the Board event

Saturday, May 20, 12 to 2 p.m.
Redmond PCC

The last “Talk to the Board” event of this board term will be held in our brand new Redmond store. Board chair Bob Cross notes, “This is the first new neighborhood for PCC in a number of years. It’s exciting to be part of the opening week activities. We’re looking forward to talking to members and shoppers about their first impressions of the store.”

The board members and board candidates will also be out in all stores during the election to encourage members to vote.

Board meeting report

The board met on March 28. The focal point of the meeting was a report by the auditing firm on the 2005 audit. PCC’s financial picture continues to be quite strong. The 2005 annual report with the financials will be available at the May 2 annual meeting and in the stores after that date.

The Linkage Task Force presented the final agenda for the annual meeting, to be held on May 2. The Board Development, Sustainability and Staff Relations task forces also reported.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be Tuesday, May 30 at 5 p.m. at the co-op office. Member comment period is at 6 p.m.