by Gigi Godwin, Board Member
Greetings Owners, and a happy summer to you all! After such an uncertain and often anxious summer last year, I hope that in these warm-weather months, everyone can start to experience a “New Normal,” be it dining inside a restaurant, going to a farmers market, attending a play or movie, seeing live music, or just kicking back and catching up with friends and family in the backyard or at a park.
Annual Meeting
That said, due to the many, many months it takes to coordinate and plan myriad logistics for La Fete de Marquette, that beloved neighborhood festival is again cancelled this year. And that also means that the Co-op’s Annual Meeting will once again be held virtually. This year’s Annual Meeting takes place on Thursday, July 8, from 5:30pm-6:45pm. Attendees may listen via phone or watch via Zoom. For all the information on how to register, along with the meeting’s agenda, ways to win prizes, and a PDF of last year’s meeting minutes, please visit: www.willystreet.coop/2021-annual-meeting.
As a Co-op Owner, one of the main ways to make sure that your voice is heard, is by casting your vote for the Board of Directors. So I am very pleased to report that this year’s election is on! Three seats are open, each for three-year terms, and three Owners are running along with one Board incumbent. In this edition of the Reader, you will find the candidates’ statements, their answers to three questions that were provided by the Board Development Committee, and the candidates’ photos. You will also find a ballot to clip and submit at dropboxes at each of the Co-op’s three locations, or you can mail the ballot to: Central Office, 1457 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI, 53703. The polls will be open July 1-July 21, 2021. Online and vote-by-phone ballots will be due at 11:59pm July 19, and all paper ballots must be received by 6:00pm July 21, 2021, when the Board holds its special meeting to receive a tally of the votes. A very big thank you to all who are running!
Thank You, Stephanie
Speaking of thank yous, I want to give a shout out to another Board Director who has come to the end of her term: Stephanie Ricketts. With her infectious enthusiasm, insightfulness, inclusiveness, and knowledge of “all things cooperative,” Stephanie, thank you for going above and beyond as a Director.
See you July 8 at the online Annual Meeting and please don’t forget to vote in this year’s Board election!