Fellow member-investors, friends and neighbors,
The diligent readers among you of our newsletters know that we recently announced our intention to hold the First Annual Election of the new Board of Directors at our upcoming Fall All-Member Meeting.
After much deliberation, the Founding Board (formerly the Steering Committee) and the Nominating Committee has decided to postpone the elections until Spring 2018.
This was not an easy decision for us to come to. The Board has been working hard to obtain the approval of the Attorney General’s Office for our capital raising plans. And our Nominating Committee has been diligently recruiting Co-op members and prospective members from partner organizations to run for the new Board.
However, we have come to realize that these goals will not be met in time for the November 12th Fall All-Member Meeting. By postponing the election, we give ourselves the time to prepare, in the best possible way, to create the conditions for the success of the Co-op. The Board will announce the date of the election after the Co-op has received the AG’s approval.
Like any cooperative, we succeed only on the collective strength of enthusiastic and engaged members. As a startup cooperative, this means we rely on member-investors volunteering their time, passion and labor to achieve our common goals and values. We thank everyone who has volunteered their time over the last couple of years, and hope to thank you in person at the Fall All-Member Meeting.
We hope everyone reading this will join us on November 12th (details below). We welcome you to join the Board and Nominating Committee in a collective discussion on how we will manage the transition from startup to full operations. It is only by working together that we will secure permanently affordable space for civic, cultural, and community use in NYC.
The Nominating Committee also encourages all members and community partners to continue to nominate people to run for the Board. We’re looking for people:
- From all five boroughs who are committed to their neighborhood and our city of New York;
- Who have been organizing to make their neighborhood strong in the face of disinvestment over the years (check out this interactive map to see if your neighborhood is historically redlined);
- Who will act in accordance with the cooperative principles (read them here);
- Who adhere to the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others;
- Who are interested in educating our members and the public on the benefits of cooperation and the cooperative movement; and
- Who are committed to working for the sustainable development of the communities of which they are a part!
Does this sound like you or someone you know? Find out how to add yourself to the ballot: check out the website or contact the Nominating Committee at nominations@nycreic.com or (718) 316-6092 ext. 5. Thanks for all you do!
SAVE THE DATE: The next quarterly all-member meeting will take place on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2017 from 3pm to 6pm. We are being generously hosted by Prime Produce (424 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019): A, C, B, D, 1 at Columbus Circle or 50th St. Come discuss how to build the cooperative and prepare for the operational phase of the REIC in 2018!
In solidarity,
Your Founding Board and Nominating Committee