Healthy Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Minutes Mayor’s Initiative for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems November 19, 2015 10:00 – 11:30, City Hall, Room 209 1. Welcome In attendance: Ben Tettlebaum, Lily Chaleff, Selby Beebe-Lawson, Jonah Fertig, Jason Lilley, Jasmine Haines, Craig Lapine, Sara Schwartz, Olivia Dooley, Tim Fuller, Mayor Brennan, John Naylor, Jim Hanna, Meghan Quinn, Jennifer Rowland, Phyllis Reames, Hunter Cropsey, Laura Mailander and Stephanie Gagne. 2. Celebrating the success of the Mayor’s Initiative Tim led the meeting by acknowledging Mayor Brennan’s important contribution in establishing Portland’s first iteration of a food council via the Mayor’s Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food System. He presented the mayor with a thank you card. 3. Portland Food Council planning and development – next stages Stephanie will continue in the role of administrator (maintaining the listserv, website, scheduling and facilitating meetings and coordinating communication). Policy subcommittee interns will continue researching the varying structures of existing food councils nationwide to identify possible models for Portland to emulate, as well as engaging community stakeholders in conversations to better understand their collective vision of what role the Portland Food Council could serve. Policy subcommittee will maintain relations with City staff to keep them abreast of community interest in building and maintaining an equitable food system that promotes health, economic development, community development and sustainable agriculture. Ongoing research for budget development that will fund a full-time Food System Director and augment the City of Portland’s capacity to address complex food system issues by maximizing outside funding opportunities. The Mayor appointed Tim Fuller to the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee approved a motion to change the designation of the Mayor’s Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food System to Shaping Portland’s Food System. The motion also provides for Steering Committee members to act as the governing body for future decisions made by/for Portland’s forthcoming Food Council. Steering Committee members as of this date are Jonah Fertig, Jeremy Bloom, Craig Lapine, John Naylor, Jim Hanna, Ben Tettlebaum and Tim Fuller. 4. Updates  “Labor and the Locavore” at USM presented by Margaret Gray USM Events Room, 7th floor Glickman Library 6:45 pm – 8:30 pm  Maine Community Food Council Summit Friday Nov. 20 Clinton, ME  Food Security Workgroup meeting Friday Dec. 11 at 10:00 AM room 209  Jonah announced the Portland Food Co-op is celebrating its first birthday today.  Also the launch of the Maine Food Atlas website, a free online resource designed and administered by the Maine Network of Community Food Councils and the Center for Community GIS.  Winners of the Maine Innovation Challenge will be announced on Sunday November 22, 2015 at Kresge Auditorium.  Jason Lilley, research associate with the cooperative extension announced USM’s participation in the “One Campus” project.  Jasmine Haines from Maine Farm Bureau announced Connect Maine’s efforts to increase the universal availability of broadband in the state. 5. Adjourn - Next Meeting – Portland Food Council meeting January 22, 10:00 AM; Location to be announced