Why Should You Vote in This Year’s Election?
Why Should You Vote in this Year’s Election?
In short, because your vote matters, to all of us. As the primary governing force behind the Co-op, your Board’s eleven members make an impact every day. How? Partly, it is through carefully designed policies that define our Co-op’s core values and scope of operations; safeguard our financial well-being; track our performance; and ensure high levels of transparency. It is also through working to understand the local, regional, national and global conditions that affect us now and inform the choices we’ll make in the future. We do this through strong, ongoing support of management, and a deep respect for our talented staff. It is through a Board culture with high standards of collaboration, inclusion, discipline, and a sense of commitment that is reflected in its remarkably low turnover. (There is a shared sense of purpose that comes with making a difference.) Your Board prizes new ideas, pithy dialogs, great technology, humor, thinking fast and slow, and our four decades of cooperative history. It learns and communicates constantly, and knows the value of outside expertise. Its advice is sought by other co-op boards. In the end, though, it all depends on you: your support, your participation, your vote. So please read those application essays, make your choices, and return your ballot. Give your Co-op the gift of four of this year’s excellent candidates and we’ll continue getting stronger together. Thank you.
Tam Stewart is a Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op Board Member
