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Monroe Street Grocery Co-op
2002 Board Candidates

CANDIDATES FOR THREE-YEAR TERMS

Kevin Korpela
Kevin Korpela wants to help the Monroe Co-op become a success and was impressed by the community commitment to keep a grocery store on Monroe Street. Kevin lives only two blocks from the proposed store location at the Ken Kopp's site. He works for a two-person architecture firm, called the architects ltd, located in a nearby neighborhood. The small architecture studio provides him with a good understanding of the design process and construction budgets. His architectural background will compliment the other talents on the board. Kevin's honest and thoughtful advice will be important during the potential design and construction stage of the cooperative.

Lynne Hodgkins Solomon
I have been living at 2148 West Lawn Avenue with my husband Brian since June 1999. For the past three years, I have been employed as the Director of Legal Services at AIDS Network, a non-profit agency serving people living with HIV and AIDS. One of the main reasons that Brian and I moved to Madison in 1996 was its strong sense of community. In buying a house, we specifically looked for neighborhoods in which this community was evident. It was important for us to know our neighbors, be within walking distance of shopping and other services, and have the opportunity to be an active part of the neighborhood. I have been involved as an active volunteer in a number of public service organizations in the past and would like to continue this interest in Madison as a member of the Monroe Street Grocery Cooperative Board of Directors. I believe my legal training and the fact that I am a member of both Regent Street and Williamson Street Coops (as well as my love of food!) would be assets to the Board. The former Ken Kopp's property is an ideal location for a grocery cooperative--not only would it serve as a central point for our community, but it would be an important anchor for the other small businesses we hope to keep on Monroe Street.

Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva
I came to Madison from Milwaukee in 1971, and after graduating from the university, worked in mental health and program administration. Since 1998 I've been a freelance writer for Isthmus and a contributing writer at Madison Magazine. We lived for 20 years in Westmorland, and for the last five in Nakoma. Monroe Street has always felt very much a part of what made where we live a neighborhood--the primary place where we live, shop, eat, play and socialize. I am committed to doing whatever I can to advance responsible development of the Ken Kopp's site, with a viable grocery. What I have valued in the progress of the MSGC to date is the conviction of a shared interest and responsibility in preserving the sense of neighborhood that a grocery on that site provided. I believe this is an important and essential place to take a stand.

CANDIDATE FOR REMAINING YEAR OF TWO YEAR TERM
(This nomination is due to the recent resignation of a board member with a two-year term.)

Betty MacDonald
I've lived in the Monroe Street Neighborhood for 53 years and during that time I've seen stores come and go... a variety store, a hardware store, a pet store, to name a few. But one of our most severe losses has been a neighborhood grocery. Several years ago I began the reactivation of the dormant Vilas Neighborhood Association and served on its Board of Directors. I was active in the DMSA and VNA efforts to direct growth of Edgewood in ways compatible with the needs and wants of the neighbors. Most recently I participated in the development of the Bylaws of the Monroe Street Grocery Coop and compiled the final version. And now I would welcome the challenge of trying to return a grocery store to the neighborhood!

[This article is a reprint from www.dmna.org/msgc. Also, the 2002 Board candidates listed above were unaminously voted into office by the members at the April 2002 Annual Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin.]

© Kevin Korpela, www.observatorydrive.com