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http://www.davisfood.coop/election.html

The Davis Food Co-op held its annual elections for Board of Directors with six candidates running (one has withdrawn since voting started). Anyone who is a member in good standing on May 25, 2012 is eligible to cast a ballot. Voting instructions, a link to a ballot, and other information is available at the Co-op's election web page.If you already voted and want to change your vote, there is a procedure you can follow before the end of the election (on 5/25/12).

Voters are selecting candidates to fill three seats on the Board with three-year terms, plus a one one-year term (created by resignation). The top three vote-getters in the election will be seated to fill three-year terms as Directors, the fourth will be seated to fill a one-year term created by resignation, while the fifth and sixth will be seated as first and second Alternate Directors. Alternates serve for one year and vote at Board meetings when a Director is absent. Alternates are appointed to fill out a term if a Director resigns or is incapable of serving.

Any other members who declare candidacy (using the form approved by the Board and available in the store, or at our web site) can speak at the Annual Meeting, receive votes via ballot write-in, and be elected either as Directors or Alternates. Please view our Election page or the 2012 Voter's Pamphlet for complete voting information.

Candidates are presented on this page in the order in which they are presented on the Ballot: in an order determined by random drawing, with write-ins added at the bottom. Results of voting are final as of 5/30/12:

8,902 shareholders were in good standing on 5/25; 928 ballots were counted (as of 5/30).

Bernie Goldsmith was elected to a one-year term created by resignation, 400 votes Desmond Jolly was elected to a three-year term, 656 votes Ed Clemens was elected as First Alternate for a year, 331 votes Travis Breckon was elected as Second Alternate for a year, 314 votes Karen Mo (withdrew her candidacy, 5/9/12), 495 votes Zoë Plakias was elected to a three-year term, 487 votes Bija Young (staff) was elected to a three-year term, 441 votes

Four undeclared candidates received one vote each (you must declare candidacy to be elected), and there was one vote for "None of the above." Results will be accepted at the Co-op Board's meeting of 6/4/12.

Bernie Goldsmith

Dear friends and fellow members; I am writing to ask for your vote for board member of the Davis Food Co-op. I am running because I believe strongly in the DFC and its role in our community, and because I offer skills, experience, and the drive we need to face coming competition and strengthen our cooperative.

I can contribute to our board in three important ways: as a business attorney who understands the needs of a large organization; as a long-time Davisite who has been a member of the DFC for most of my life; and as a deeply involved and engaged citizen-activist who strives to promote local reliance and the cooperative model.

My primary goal as director would be to strengthen the two qualities that I think make the DFC such a resilient institution and strong force for good in our town: its commitment to promoting and providing local, sustainable food and its responsiveness to the concerns and values of its members.

I believe in the cooperative model and in local reliance for food, finance, housing, and healthcare. I believe that economic and environmental sustainability must go hand-in-hand, and that strong investment in the community and in local farms will result in a stronger food cooperative.

Organizations I have volunteered for, advised, or served include the Solar Community Housing Association, the UCD Domes, the Flatland Food Collective, Davis Farm to School, and multiple organic farms. Most recently, I co-founded the Davis Flea Market, served our County by handling the estates of those who died indigent and alone, and helped to reduce our city’s carbon footprint as a core team member of the Cool Davis Initiative. I currently serve as a commissioner on the city’s Business and Economic Development Commission.

It is my hope to continue this work by serving on the Davis Food Co-op board, and I would greatly appreciate your vote.

Desmond Jolly

This year has been named International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations. It also marks the 40th Anniversary of the Davis Food Cooperative — quite a remarkable testament to its sustainability over these four decades. The future sustainability of the Coop is largely what motivates my efforts as a member of the Board of Directors. We are in the midst of a radically more challenging and competitive marketing environment. Several new grocery stores have located to Davis in the last few years, and we can reasonably expect several more to do so in the coming years. Davis, after all, is a fairly stable, upscale market.

The stability of the Coop requires an adaptive as well as an innovative approach. And while the Board does not involve itself in the management of the store (that is delegated to a manager and staff), the Board can foster a climate of innovation which empowers the management and staff to innovate and adapt so as to keep the Coop on the cutting edge in terms of meeting our shoppers needs, while preserving the traditional “folksiness” which has been a hallmark of the Coop.

I have tried to bring to the board a renewed sense of cooperation between the Board and the management and to foster a heightened sense of teamwork. I believe we must pull strongly together to keep the organization strong and financially viable. The Board can ensure and reinforce the preeminent values of our member-owners: that we support local producers and vendors as well as more sustainable food systems and environments by emphasizing sustainably produced products such as organically produced foods, including sustainably harvested fish.

Since joining the Board I have helped rewrite our Ends ­— basically our Guiding Principles — been twice Election Task Force Chair and now, Chair of Board Education. I was instrumental in getting the Board more engaged in Strategic Leadership in addition to Policy Governance.

I wish to continue helping to provide leadership and stewardship on your behalf.

Thank you for your past support.

Ed Clemens

Hello Fellow Co-op owners. During the 8 years that I have been a member of the DFC, it has become an increasingly more significant part of my life. The recognition of this stems from my growing awareness of how much I’ve changed the way I live as a result of being a Co-op member. I used to drive to the Co-op almost exclusively and it took many months before I finally got into the habit of bringing my own reusable bags. I now make 99% of my trips to the Co-op on my bike, towing my Co-op trailer containing cloth bags and recycled containers. But it’s not about saving the nickel per bag that prompted this change. It’s the values the Co-op endorses by implementing policies that encourage people to participate in a healthy sustainable life-style and to be part of a socially active community, that I find motivating.

I am running for a BOD position to support and develop the policies that have made the DFC a model viable community enterprise. The experiences I have that guide my decisions and reflect my values and skills are: • Director of a multidisciplinary science program at UCSC. Focused on increasing the number of ethnic minorities prepared with a science degree to make policies that promote equity. Collaborated with diverse groups of people to create programs that achieved these goals. • Director of pharmacology programs for several biotech companies. Gained experience working through the many personnel issues associated with an industry always in transition. Recognized health isn’t about drugs, it is about the foods we eat and the friends we make. • Treasurer of Slow Food Yolo for three years. Managed the financial aspects of this organization that supports sustainable agriculture. • Coordinator and active participant in the Tour de Cluck - a community activity that supports Farm to School programs. Worked with many people to help participants enjoy a multifaceted community event. • Volunteer for the DFC Holiday Meal and Souper Bowl - this connects me with good people.

Thank you for reading my statement. I would appreciate your vote.

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Travis Breckon

My name is Travis Breckon. I have served on the Davis Food Co-op Board for the last year as an alternate board member and have greatly enjoyed getting to know the other Board members while attending meetings as well as the annual Co-op training and retreat. I especially enjoyed helping cook at the annual Co-op social event.

As I mentioned last year when I was running, I graduated from CSUS and have worked in various fields. I have approximately six years’ experience working for a retail grocery market and have lived and worked on a cattle ranch. Because of my experience and being the main shopper in our household, I appreciate that the Davis Food Co-op supplies the best selection and quality of organic foods and meats in the area from local vendors.

Since Whole Foods has made the decision to come into the Davis area, I feel that the Co-op needs to meet the challenges necessary for us to stay competitive and maintain the wonderful quality, service, and reputation that has been ours for years.

Finally, I believe that I have excellent interpersonal skills. I enjoy working with people and being a team player. In my spare time, I maintain bee hives and construct acoustic guitars – and have been the electric and acoustic guitarist in several local bands.

As a person who is passionate about quality food and the Co-op’s continued place in this community, I thank you for your vote last year and ask for your vote again this year

Karen Mo (withdrawn)

On May 9, 2012, Karen Mo withdrew her candidacy for the Co-op Board, due to other time commitments.

She wrote, “I really felt I could contribute, but at this time it seems like my life is too full. I feel confident that your current board & the many outstanding other candidates will continue to maintain the co-op I love.”

Shareholders can still vote for up to four candidates among the six remaining. You may change your vote, until the end of the election. Write the date on the front of your envelope, and that the ballot enclosed supersedes your previous vote. Your new envelope must be signed and sealed, and your name (& member number) should be legibly printed. We cannot combine votes from two ballots.

Zoë Plakias

Dear fellow Co-op member owners – thank you for voting in the 2012 election for the Board of Directors. As you know, it is your right and privilege to determine who governs the business that you own.

I believe supporting cooperatives like the Davis Food Co-op is one of the best ways to maintain a vibrant local and global community. Over the last six months, I have had the pleasure to serve on the Member Linkage Task Force at the Davis Food Co-op. Before moving to Davis, I also served on boards or committees of two other retail food cooperatives. I hope to use my experience and drive to help carry on the long tradition of cooperative enterprise that is unique to Davis.

While I am eager to participate in discussions of all issues brought before the Board of Directors, there are several causes I hope to champion. First, I believe constant dialogue with and excellent service to member owners is essential both to meeting the principles for which the Co-op stands and for the success of the Co-op as a business. As a member of the Board of Directors I will push for the highest standards of customer service and work to open new channels of communication with member owners. Secondly, if elected to the Board of Directors, I will look for ways to bring greater socioeconomic diversity to the Co-op community, as I understand the economic constraints faced by the Co-op and by member owners. Throughout, paramount in my mind will be the Co-op’s ideal of being a competitive, community-rooted, retail food store carrying a large selection of high quality, responsibly sourced products.

Beyond the Co-op, as my “day job,” I am a PhD student in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis. I feel privileged to work on food and agriculture issues that I am passionate about both in my academic work and in my community.

Thanks for your consideration and for your many contributions to the Davis Food Co-op. See you in the checkout line!

Bija Young

The Davis Food Co-op has been a part of my family since 1999, after the birth of my first son. I truly value the strong sense of community that the Davis Food Co-op fosters as well as the willingness to be a leader in promoting and supporting environmental stewardship, local businesses and producers. I strongly believe in supporting a sustainable, local economy as an alternative to the big corporations that put profit before people.

I have been involved with food cooperatives since 1996, when I first volunteered at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. Since then I have been a member, volunteer and employee at three different co-ops in two states. Currently I am employed by DFC in the Marketing Dept., as the Brand Manager. It is in this capacity that I have learned to look at the bigger picture of the Co-op and what it needs to survive and thrive.

I have participated in numerous cooperative and community based enterprises from starting a housing community when I was a single mom to co-creating an alternative school in Portland, OR. Throughout these endeavors I have learned how to communicate and problem solve effectively within diverse groups to achieve results.

If elected to the Board I would like to focus on the dialog between member-owners and the Board. It is my belief that more involvement from owners, along with greater accessibility to the board will lead to greater pride of ownership, which will in turn lead to the overall success of the Co-op.