Vote for ME!

Loyal Readers:

The great secret success story of the U.S. and world economies is the cooperative movement. Born in the midst of the depredations of the Industrial Revolution in England, cooperation has outlasted all of the "isms" spawned by that particular era. Today, more Americans belong to a cooperative (if you include credit unions) than own shares in publicly traded stock corporations. Cooperatives wired up the 70 percent of the continental U.S. that investor-owned electric utilities wouldn't touch. Collectively, Vermont's food co-ops comprise the 25th biggest employer in the state. In my respectful opinion, though everyone talks about corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing, member-owners of coops are the only ones truly living these ideals.

So . . . I am running for a third term on the board of the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society, the oldest and second biggest co-op in the National Cooperative Grocers Association. In my judgment, although the Hanover Co-op is a powerful force for good in our community there remains vast untapped potential both for our co-op and for cooperation in general. But it takes a long time for a volunteer board member to develop the expertise and connections to make a difference in that regard.

The election is now in progress -- ballots must be received by the Co-op by Wednesday April 30. If you are a member of the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society, please vote. You don't have to have the ballot that came with the annual report that was mailed a few weeks ago. All you need is your member number -- and even if you don't have that, the service desk can look it up for you. Voting by mail is allowed -- and you can always vote at one of the Co-op's three stores. Here is a link to a printable ballot and information about all of the candidates.

Thanks!