Ken Webb
Retired, he/him
In my 37 years living in the Seward neighborhood I have been very active in our community. From my involvement with the Seward Neighborhood Group, to my current role with the Seward Civic & Commerce Association, as well as other neighborhood initiatives including but not limited to my work to establish the Seward Traffic Calming Project in 2025, I see serving on the Seward Co-op’s Board as a next step in my desire to contribute to my community.
I offer experience serving on several boards as well as a background in cooperatives and the natural foods industry.
I believe that to work collaboratively one needs to check their ego at the door. Listening and understanding the viewpoints of others should always take precedence over advancing my own viewpoints and opinions. Presenting my own ideas and opinions is important – a board member who does not do so is not fulfilling their obligations. Collaboration means being able to agree with the consensus of the group even if an idea or opinion that I offer is not agreed to or considered valuable by the broader group.
By working through collaborative decision making and outreach to assure that all stakeholders have a voice, evaluating outcomes to determine which groups may not be the beneficiaries of the current path, and by advocating for changes to our work if the data shows a lack of fairness in the path we are on.
My vision is to see Seward Co-op continue to grow and thrive by increasing the percentage of shoppers at both stores who are owners. I believe that if more Seward Co-op shoppers are owners, then we as a community will be stronger
I would advocate for diversity in owner, worker and vendor constituencies in order to achieve equitable economic relationships. I would advocate for a higher level of zero-waste packaging and locally sourced product offerings to produce more positive environmental impacts. I would seek out and listen to the voices of all groups in the community so that all members are able to be equal partners in the Co-op.