Annual Election

This article was originally published in May 2014

vote

You’re electing three board members and a new nominating committee.
The special election insert inside this issue of your home-delivered Sound Consumer contains your ballot, biographical information and campaign statements from each candidate, as well as a candidate Q&A designed to prepare you for your voting decisions. The insert also gives you a bit of background on the six trustees the new board members will be joining.

Look also for statements from the 2014-2015 nominating committee candidates. They are Karen Gaudette Brewer, Janet Hietter, Leanne Skooglund Hofford, Julie Tempest and Sara Walsh.

All campaign materials are available on our website.
Again this year, you’ll be able to see and hear the board candidates talk about why they’re running. Our website features brief videos with each candidate. Watch and listen to them answer these questions:

Why do you want to serve (or to continue serving) on the board?

What makes PCC a different kind of business?

What experience, skill or perspective will you bring to the board?

Please email board@pccmarkets.com or call Janice Parker at 206-547-1222 if you have questions about anything related to the election.

New this year!

To make it easier for you to cast your ballot, they are now first-class postage-paid. Simply complete your ballot and drop it in the mail! There are also ballot boxes in each store.

Notice of 2014 ballot count meeting

The 2014 ballots will be counted at a public meeting on Monday, May 19 at noon at the co-op office, 4201 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Results will be posted in our stores, office and website by Friday, May 23.

Board report

The board met on March 25 and heard a report from PCC’s independent auditor on the 2013 financial audit, which shows the co-op in strong financial health. The finance committee reported its positive findings on the audit process. The annual report with 2013 financials is now available on our website and in our stores. The board also discussed plans for the annual meeting.
Management presented monitoring reports on 2013 operations toward achievement of PCC’s Ends policies. Excerpts of the reports will be published on our website in August and in the Sound Consumer.

Board meeting

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be Tuesday, May 27 at 5 p.m. at the co-op office. Member comment period is at 7 p.m. Comments are limited to three minutes.

Annual meeting – April 29

We’ll publish a report and photos of our annual meeting on our website by May 30 and in next month’s Sound Consumer.
Available online now are the recipes from the annual meeting menu. We are happy to feature a couple of classic deli menu items from when PCC first opened its delis. PCC’s first deli manager, Henry Gordon, worked with our meeting executive chef Blake Caldwell.

Also in this issue

Soil & Sea: reports from our producers

Why does the European Union want to ban American cheeses from having names such as Parmesan and feta? What’s Vermont’s new system for grading maple syrup? What’s happening in the market for skipjack tuna?

News bites, May 2014

Moo-d music, Irradiated greens, Salmon and magnetic fields, and more

Farmers warn of Dow's GE corn and soybeans

Nearly 400,000 farmers, farm workers, health professionals, and concerned citizens from across the country urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reject Dow AgriSciences' application seeking approval of controversial genetically engineered (GE) corn and soybean varieties that are resistant to the hazardous herbicide 2,4-D.