Heather Hubbs is running for the board of directors for the first time. In case you can’t make the Meet the Candidates event on Monday at 7:00, she made this quick video to tell you a little more about why she’s running.

In case you don’t know Don Mathisen, one of four candidates endorsed by Cooperatively Yours for the board of directors, he prepared a short video to introduce himself.

Sliding doors, triggered by a proximity key card or fob, is a necessary addition to the coop for any resident with a physical disability that makes traditional doors impossible to manage. Automatic doors would also be beneficial for the elderly and children who struggle to hold open the coop’s heavy doors. Really, they would be more convenient for any of us carrying heavy bags, pulling a suitcase, or pushing a stroller. In other words, a big benefit for everyone.

There’s also an important side benefit to automatic doors: If entry is triggered by a key that can stay in your pocket, security guards won’t feel the need anymore to buzz everyone in, so all our buildings become much more secure.

Read all our cooperative proposals for 2014 here.

Have you ever had a question for the board of directors about policy or finances that the management office can’t answer? Have you wanted to propose an amendment to existing policy? Or have you wanted to update the directors about a change in the neighborhood you think they should be acting on?

If you’ve ever tried to contact the board in an official capacity, you know that more efficient and productive two-way communication between the board of directors and shareholders would not be very hard to achieve. There are only two challenges to tackle: how can cooperators send questions and suggestions to the board, and how can directors regularly inform shareholders of their plans.

Contacting the board

Currently, questions and suggestions from cooperators can be sent to a catch-all email address (contact@coopvillage.coop) or left in writing at the management office to be distributed to the board at their next meeting. But as most people who have gone this route will tell you, hearing anything back is, at best, hit-or-miss.

Instead, directors should invite shareholders to attend board meetings, where the first 30 minutes would be devoted to hearing proposals and answering questions from residents. That way, a movement of cooperators interested in participating in the city’s compost program could make their case to all directors, or a set of questions on coop finances could be asked face-to-face.

Email addresses for directors — or at least one address that reaches the board secretary — should be set up and made public. Quick questions or suggestions that don’t need to take up time at a meeting can be answered more efficiently by email. Perhaps a web form similar to the effective maintenance request portal, or a web page where questions and answers are posted for all to see, would effectively leverage common technology on behalf of better communication.

It’s important not to waste our directors’ time — they are volunteers, already contributing many extra hours on behalf of coop business — and if these changes were to become a burden we would want to reassess their effectiveness. But the black hole that questions to the board now get sucked into is not to anyone’s benefit, and new means of communication must be considered.

Sharing news with cooperators

The board’s attempts to communicate with shareholders are always welcome, but, unfortunately, often raise more questions than they answer. A letter from the board this past spring explaining the need for a raise in monthly fees because of a cold winter and lawsuits against pet owners did not adequately explain many of the underlying financial issues. Questions raised at the annual meeting are often deferred and then never answered publicly. The audited financial report we receive each year is generic enough that specific questions — e.g., How much is the federal anti-discrimination lawsuit against East River costing us in legal fees? — cannot be answered.

More effort must be made in this regard. Shareholders should receive regular updates on the board’s actions and plans. Quarterly directors’ reports plus a mid-year financial Q&A would improve cooperators’ engagement and keep the board accountable for their decisions.

These suggestions are critical to reaffirming the guiding principles of cooperative living: democratic governance, shared responsibility, constant education, and mutual respect.

Read all our cooperative proposals for 2014 here.

Shareholders need more opportunities to contribute ideas and feedback to our board of directors and management. One way to engage cooperators in thinking about the quality of life at East River would be a simple survey, distributed by mail and online. We could indicate our interest in certain new amenities, such as a more accessible common room, lobby seating areas, or more bike storage. We could rate our satisfaction with the cleanliness of our hallways, the professionalism of our security, and the responsiveness of management. And if the survey were asked every year with similar questions, our board would be able to track over time satisfaction with the quality of life at East River.

Coops do this sort of thing all the time; I know Hillman sent out a survey in 2012 — including one just for kids! Anyone who has been to our annual meeting knows that the Q&A session is not sufficient for creating a positive, productive dialogue between shareholders and directors. An annual survey would be an important step to improving communication and engaging more cooperators in the betterment of East River.

Read all our cooperative proposals for 2014 here.