Food Co-Op board shakeup

Cameron Jones took to social media to declare he’d been “unexpectedly removed” from the Port Townsend Food Co-op Board, amidst what he cited as “ongoing tensions over transparency and equity issues.”

According to Jones, the tension escalated after a trans employee publicly stated they’d left due to the Co-Op’s defense of “a harmful article against the trans community” and “prioritization of profits over safety and support for trans employees.”

Jones cited his own background as “a Black/mixed-race man” and board member, as he recounted experiencing “a conflict-averse, performative culture resistant to accountability.”

Jones further asserted the meeting to remove him was planned “without proper notice, documentation, or evidence, and wasn’t unanimous,” as seven-year-long board member, and former board president, Juri Jennings resigned in protest.

“Despite my efforts to address these issues, my removal seemed premeditated to silence dissent,” Jones wrote on social media. “My confidence in the current board and leadership is shaken, but my hope for the Co-op’s future remains with its members, not its current leadership.”

New lift for Bookmobile

The Jefferson County Library District Bookmobile will be off the road Aug. 12 to 31 while a crew installs a new mobility lift, making the Bookmobile more accessible to people with wheelchairs or scooters and those using canes or walkers.

District staff will deliver holds and other items to all regular Bookmobile stops via the Library van.

The lift was made possible by a grant from Libraries Transforming Communities, an American Library Association initiative helping small, rural libraries to better serve people with disabilities.

Cantwell joins effort to block Grocery merger

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on Aug. 5 joined 27 of her Congressional colleagues in filing an amicus brief urging the Federal District Court for the District of Oregon to grant the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction in the Kroger-Albertsons merger case.

The brief outlines three major concerns with the merger: harm to consumers, harm to workers, and the growing consolidation of grocery chains leading to monopolistic practices.

“If the Court does not grant a preliminary injunction to halt the merger, harm to workers is likely to occur and will be felt immediately. Based in part on amici’s experience with past mergers, the proposed merger is likely to result in job losses, lower wages, and worse working conditions,” the lawmakers wrote.

That year, Cantwell and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan flagging the potential impacts in Washington state.

The 337 Albertsons and Kroger grocery stores in Washington represent 21.5% of the state’s total grocery stores.

Economic development gets

$35 million boost with pilot

Also on Aug. 5, Cantwell, as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced $35 million for the North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Coalition to support long-term economic development and job growth in the North Olympic Peninsula.

This funding comes from the Recompete Pilot Program, a five-year federal program secured by Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06).

Kilmer originally authored the program under the Rebuilding Economies and Creating Opportunities for More People Everywhere to Excel Act (RECOMPETE Act).

To date, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has been appropriated $200 million for the program. 

Cantwell fought to include the Recompete Pilot Program in the CHIPS and Science Act, one of the largest federal investments in American science and technology research, innovation and manufacturing. The CHIPS and Science Act included a $1 billion authorization for the five-year pilot program.

Cantwell also helped secure a $500,000 Strategy Development Grant for NOPRC in December 2023.  Specifically, the funding will support the expansion of the Composite Recycling Technology Center, a facility that manufactures Advanced Cross-Laminated Timber (ACLT) in cooperation with the Makah Tribe; critical marine transportation infrastructure; and a workforce strategy with social support services.

Through the coalition’s Recompete Task Force, tribal and county governments, local colleges, and economic development partners are poised to create and connect residents to good jobs.