by Stephanie Ricketts, Board Member
Virtual Annual Meeting
Thank you to everyone who attended the Co-op’s first ever virtual Annual Meeting on July 9, 2020! I think all of us keenly missed our bustling, happy, in-person Annual Meeting & Party (even the food lines). At least mother nature seemed to be feeling the same way—for the first time in ages; it stormed throughout the meeting.
For those of you who were not able to attend, here’s a short recap! We had 100 Owners register for the Annual Meeting and 66 total attendees, meeting the quorum requirement of 50 Owners present. At the meeting attendees heard from candidates for the 2020 Willy Street Co-op Board election, got a Year-in-Review for the whole organization from Anya Firszt, our General Manager, and a recap of the FY20 financials from Finance Director, Paige Wickline. If you’d like to read the draft minutes, you can find them at: www.willystreet.coop/images/PDF/200709-AMP-Agenda-and-Meeting-Minutes.pdf.
Board Election Results
This is an election year! We had four excellent candidates running for four open seats. Why were four seats open, you ask? Three seats opened up due to the typical term limits of the Board, and one seat opened up when a Board member departed before the end of their term. I am happy to share the results of the election and introduce you to the newly elected representatives!
2,375 votes, Ashwini Rao
2,065 votes, Brian Anderson
2,063 votes, Jeannine Bindl
1,967 votes, Caryn Murphy
While we are very lucky to have a great selection of candidates this year, I am disappointed that for the second year in a row, the election is uncontested. Democracy is made stronger by choices among representatives, including here at our Co-op. If you have feedback for the Board about barriers to running for the Board, ways to encourage more candidates in next year’s election, or other feedback on the election process, please email us! You can reach the Board via our email address: board@willystreet.coop.
Bylaw Vote Results
This year’s ballot also had a variety of amendments to the Co-op’s Bylaws.
I am pleased to share that the Bylaw amendments have passed! The amendments garnered 2,469 votes in favor and 62 votes against.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to also to share your thoughts on why you voted against the Bylaw amendment. It is useful information for the Board to have. If anyone reading this hasn’t had a chance to share their thoughts yet, please feel free to do so! You can reach us at board@willystreet.coop.
Our Co-op is stronger when people participate in its governance, including in elections. THANK YOU to everyone who participated this year!
