Healthy Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Minutes Shaping Portland’s Food System Meeting February 26, 2016 PURPOSE: To discuss with Shaping Portland’s Food System: 1. the draft proposal for the Portland Food Council 2. the updated strategic plan 3. needs for success I. Introduction a. Welcome! Review agenda and purpose of meeting. b. Introductions. In attendance: Chrystina Gastelum, Meghan Quinn, Selby Beebe-Lawson, Sandy Gilbreath, Jennifer Rowland, Susan McCloskey, Susan Nelson, Sara Schwartz, Jim Hanna, Tim Fuller, John Naylor, Lisa Fernandes, Emily Clyatt and Stephanie Gagne. II. Overview of Proposed Portland Food Council a. Overview of Proposal- the group referenced the Resolution draft and had a roundtable read -through. One suggestion was made to designate Manufacturing as a priority somewhere within the Resolution. Those in attendance felt the resolution did a good job representing the values and objectives of Shaping Portland’s Food System. b. By-Laws review: Article V – Duties and Responsibilities The group reviewed the primary functions of the Portland Food Council as: i. Bringing together and engaging the Portland community, City government, and the food-business sector on issues affecting the food systems that support our community; ii. Recommending laws, policies, and practices to the City government to improve the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of our food system; and iii. Identifying or initiating projects to improve the food system The group discussed how the Portland Food Council will operate through working groups and committees that will meet as frequently as needed based on projects and the need to get work done. Some standing committees may not be active at all times, and committee members will be able to work across committees on a needs-basis. It was discussed that the Portland Food Council will craft a three-year strategic plan at one of its first few meetings. The group raised questions about the structure of the council, and asked whether it is a part of city government or not, and if not, why does it need to go before city council? It was reiterated that the current proposal is for a quasi-governmental Food Council, with the Mayor appointing 7 council members, and key- government officials acting as ex officio (non-voting) members. One member of the group mentioned that 15 council members might be too many, and questions were raised about how that number was reached. Also, some concerns arose about the Mayor’s appointments of almost half  of the council members and whether that was a good idea. They asked whether this was typical for other food councils. The group also asked about the financial commitment from the city to support this initiative. It was discussed that as of now, Stephanie Gagne will continue in the role of coordinator and have a portion of her schedule each week to devote to this initiative. Currently the city has made no additional financial commitments to supporting this initiative. The group asked if the council applied for a grant, who would it go to, and this was determined to be an ongoing issue of determining various fiscal agents. There was a general discussion about how the council members are chosen, and about having general consensus on issues in the format of the Mayor’s Initiative, and how that may change in the Food Council format. Attendees were asked to read through the By-Laws document and to prepare their questions for later discussion. It was also suggested that fisheries are missing from the appointments section of Article VI. Membership in the By-Laws draft. III. Strategy/Timeline for Launching the Portland Food Council a. Goal – to pass the Portland Food Council resolution we need support from the community. b. Community forums – 3-4 community forums will be held across city neighborhoods. Chrystina, Olivia, Mary Alice and Meghan are potential organizers and Sarah is working with Ben on how these meetings will work. The importance of ensuring diversity and bringing in the right people was noted in this discussion. Lisa offered her support and guidance for structuring these meetings based on her past experience and successes with similar offerings. Lisa also noted the importance of closing the feedback loop with those we seek to get information from, and not just farming them for their ideas. Additionally, Lisa suggested that: i. the meeting format should flow from the goals; ii. the value of being participatory should be demonstrated; iii. participants should feel connected; iv. we should double check the relevance of the meetings; v. we should diversify the meeting format to engage people who may not regularly attend meetings; and vi. we should define goals but make it known that participation in many ways will be helpful. It was suggested that piggybacking on existing meetings might be a method for getting more feedback with less work. Chrystina might be available to act as community meeting coordinator for all events. The timeline for meetings is March-April, maybe into May. Information will be collected by June. c. Targeted meetings will be for specific interests. Meghan and John are willing to work on the food-business outreach. Some attendees felt the list of key officials, including the Mayor, City Manager, City Councilors, Directors of various offices, is too long and that less is more. It was  discussed that getting department heads on board is important to gain support and keep communication flowing. d. Refining proposal and building support e. Finding leaders IV. Needs a. Review and comment on draft resolution and bylaws – it was requested that those in attendance review the documents and send their comments and questions to Ben. b. Community forums (see previous section) c. Targeted meetings (see previous section) d. Media and communications – Ben will check with CLF to help with a media strategy. e. Identifying leaders—founding Council Members either appointed or confirmed. The Portland Food Council will be seeking a strong leader to chair the initiative. f. Final comment – Lisa suggested changing the wording in Exhibit A from “sustainability” to “resilience”. V. Adjourn Next meeting March 25, 2016, 10:00 – 11:30 room 209