Question re: Illinois Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council

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Debbie Hillman

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Feb 11, 2016, 11:49:32 AM2/11/16
to ILFFCoalition Farms Coalition Local Food and, AUA Agriculture for Urban, illinoisfarmersmarkets
Hi, all --

I occasionally get inquiries about the status of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council.  One such inquiry came my way yesterday via COMFOOD interaction (from Noreen Warnock, a long-time Ohio activist), but I have no knowledge of whether the Council is still active or not.  

Here are Noreen's questions, as well as my own:

From Noreen Warnock:
1.  Our organization, Local Matters,  is working with the City of Columbus (Ohio) and Franklin County to create a local food action plan. One aree in particular that interests me is how to help farmers scale up and be financially prosperous. I was looking at some ideas in the Local Food, Farms & Jobs:Growing the Illinois Economy report. I wonder if you can point me to any information that gives a progress report on this effort since the legislation was passed?

2.  I found this report from 2013 - DRAFT - Illinois Local Food Farms Jobs Council –Building on Seven Years of Grassroots Accomplishments:A New Approach to Community Development for Illinois.

Do you know if there has been any report since then or whom I might  talk with about how things progressed - or did not progress?

From D. Hillman:
Is the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council still meeting?
If so, who is on the Executive Committee?
Are agendas and minutes being posted publicly?  If so, where?   (If not, why not?)
Is anyone on the Council concerned about keeping the Illinois public engaged?  If so, how is that happening?


I will be happy to forward responses to Noreen.

-- Debbie

Debbie Hillman
Evanston, Illinois

D. Hillman Strategies:  Food Policy for Voters


"Sometimes there is a kind of current from my heart that goes out to the universe, and then it pauses and comes back into me, and goes out again."  
 --  Vijali Hamilton, artist  (in Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women)

Lindsay Record

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Feb 11, 2016, 5:49:09 PM2/11/16
to Debbie Hillman, ILFFCoalition Farms Coalition Local Food and, AUA Agriculture for Urban, illinoisfarmersmarkets
Hi Debbie,

The Council still meets, I believe quarterly. I'm not able to answer most of your questions.

The Executive Committee members:

Dave Bishop - President
Barbara Rose - Vice President
Jen Walling - Treasurer
Rebecca Osland - Secretary
Karen Lehman - at large
Anthony Williamson - at large

Best wishes,

Lindsay



-- 
Lindsay Record | Executive Director | Illinois Stewardship Alliance - "Local Food Matters" | ilstewards.org | lin...@ilstewards.org | 217.528.1563
 
Support Illinois local food and farms - become a member today!


 


 

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Debbie Hillman

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Feb 17, 2016, 10:07:11 AM2/17/16
to Dave Bishop, Barbara Rose, Karen Lehman, Jennifer Walling, rebeccao...@gmail.com, kendra.s...@illinois.gov, Warnock Noreen, AUA Agriculture for Urban, ILFFCoalition Farms Coalition Local Food and, illinoisfarmersmarkets
To key members of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Dave Bishop - President 
Barbara Rose - Vice President
Jen Walling - Treasurer
Rebecca Osland - Secretary
Karen Lehman - at large
Anthony Williamson - at large  (I do not have Mr. Williamson's email address, nor is there any public information about the "community based organization" that he represents on the ILFFJC))

CONTACT PERSON (according to State of Illinois website: http://appointments.illinois.gov/appointmentsDetail.cfm?id=330)
Kendra Schilling

cc:  
Noreen Warnock, Local Matters (Ohio) - a long-time food-and-farm colleague who recently requested an update on ILFFJC
Illinois Local Food and Farms Coalition (public list-serv created to promote the ILFFJC and to keep the ILFFJC connected to the Illinois public)
Advocates for Urban Agriculture (public food-and-farm list-serv for Greater Chicago)
Illinois Farmers Market Association (public list-serv for Illinois market managers, farmers, and supporters)



Hi, Dave, and all --

Attached is an email chain that I initiated regarding a status update of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Job Council.  Thanks to Lindsay Record (Illinois Stewardship Alliance) for answering 2 of the 6 questions that were included in my email.

REQUEST:  Could someone on the Executive Committee (or perhaps Kendra Schilling, the ILFFJC contact) answer the other four questions -- 2 from me and 2 from our colleague in Ohio, Noreen Warnock?

I am copying Noreen on this email because I do not have the capacity to do the Council's work.    

I am copying the three major public Illinois list-servs so that others can also learn about the Council's current status.

Thanks.
Debbie Hillman
Evanston, Illinois
From: Lindsay Record <lin...@ilstewards.org>
Date: February 11, 2016 4:49:08 PM CST
To: Debbie Hillman <dlhi...@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: ILFFCoalition Farms Coalition Local Food and <IllinoisL...@yahoogroups.com>, AUA Agriculture for Urban <advocates-for-u...@googlegroups.com>, illinoisfarmersmarkets <illinoisfar...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {AUA} Re: Question re: Illinois Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council

Hi Debbie,

The Council still meets, I believe quarterly. I'm not able to answer most of your questions.

The Executive Committee members:

Dave Bishop - President
Barbara Rose - Vice President
Jen Walling - Treasurer
Rebecca Osland - Secretary
Karen Lehman - at large
Anthony Williamson - at large

Best wishes,

Lindsay

Debbie Hillman

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Mar 1, 2016, 9:58:04 AM3/1/16
to Jennifer Walling, Dave Bishop, Barbara Rose, gymsh...@yahoo.com, Karen Lehman, Rebecca Osland, AUA Agriculture for Urban, ILFFCoalition Farms Coalition Local Food and, illinoisfarmersmarkets
Hi, Jen, and other members of the ILFFJC Executive Committee --

Thanks for your response to my questions about the current status of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council.   As you can see, I am copying your email for the benefit of the three public list-servs.

I am also including Anthony (Tony) Williamson, a member of the ILFFJC's Executive Committee for whom I did not have an email address.  Thanks to Robin Schirmer who provided me with his email and with information about his work.  According to Robin, "Anthony (Tony) Williamson is the farmer at Mother Carr's Organic Farm in Lynwood, IL (south suburbs) that is on land owned by Vernon Park Church of God."


A.  FUTURE OF ILFFJC?  Regarding the Executive Committee's interest in reducing the size of the Council via legislative amendment, I hope that the process of writing and passing the amendment will be as public as the original legislation.  It's been my observation that most food councils in the U.S. have already given up on (1) transparency and (2) inclusiveness in favor of  (3) "efficiency".   This is repeating the same mistakes that got us here in the first place ("here" being a disfunctional food-and-farm economy that works for almost no one, including the earth).

Rather than default to reducing the size of the Council, I would recommend some other possible actions by the Executive Committee:
1.  Statewide conference call?  Host a statewide conference call open to any and all Illinois residents to review the status update (including the proposal to reduce Council size), to gauge the support for such a reduction, and to invite other solutions to the issues you describe (quorum and state agency participation).  
2.  Council training?  Train members in real democratic processes, as well as the history of the ILFFJC.
3.  Member expert in democracy?  Appoint someone who has real experience in participatory democracy who will commit to holding the Council and state government accountable for 100% transparency and increasing inclusiveness.   
4.  Council members join public list-servs?  All members of the full Council and the Executive Committee should be encouraged to join one or all  of the three public Illinois food-and-farm list-servs.


B.  DEMOCRACY EVENTS & RESOURCES.  I can only repeat Frances Moore Lappe's famous quote about food and democracy:  "Hunger is not caused by a scarcity of food but a scarcity of democracy."  As we have learned all too painfully, the U.S., state, and local government forms that we have inherited since 1776 are not real democracy.  They are representative "democracies", which is a contradiction.   Democracy and capitalism are also being recognized as mutually contradictory.

In a separate email to these 3 public list-servs, I will be highlighting some democracy events that people may be interested in.  These are:
-- Small Planet Institute: The Thrill of Democracy (retreat in western Massachusetts - March)
-- Small Planet Institute:  Democracy Spring (march to Washington, DC - April)
-- Frontiers of Democracy 2016 (conference in Boston - June)
-- Collective Impact: a model that many food-and-farm councils are using 

Unfortunately, so far as I can tell, the Food Tank Chicago Summit (just announced for November) does NOT feature many (or any ??) speakers on grassroots democracy.  For details of the event, which includes some members of the ILFFJ Council, see:
Maybe it's not too late to add a speaker on grassroots democracy.



Thanks to all of you who are still trying to hold the Council together and make it a viable entity that serves all Illinois residents.  

-- Debbie


Debbie Hillman
Evanston, Illinois

FOOD, FARMS & DEMOCRACY
Getting specific about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
D. HILLMAN STRATEGIES:  Food Policy for Voters
From: Jennifer Walling <jwal...@ilenviro.org>
Date: February 17, 2016 2:00:34 PM CST
To: Debbie Hillman <DLHI...@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Dave Bishop <da...@prairierthfarm.com>, Barbara Rose <Barbar...@comcast.net>, Karen Lehman <ka...@freshtaste.org>, Rebecca Osland <rebeccao...@gmail.com>, Warnock Noreen <Noreen....@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Questions re: Illinois Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council

Hi Debbie,

The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council is still meeting.  Our next
meeting is at the Good Food Festival in March.  You are correct about
the exec committee that you've copied here.

Because of the budget issue and change in administration, there has
been a diminishment in resources available to the council.  Kendra is
no longer at Dept of Ag and the staff that is assigned to the council
has a travel ban and has been unable to attend many meetings. In
addition, most agencies no longer participate (and agencies like DCEO
no longer have local food staff).  Finally, vacancies have not been
filled since Governor Rauner took office.  The minutes were on an open
meetings act page at the Illinois Dept of Ag website that I don't
think is up any longer.

Because of the size of the council, the lack of appointments to fill
vacancies, and the lack of agency participation, meeting quorum has
been very difficult.  We are looking at pursuing legislation that
would reduce the size of the council to make this easier.  This idea
is still being considered, but we will forward a proposal when one has
been finalized.

- Jen

Executive Director
Illinois Environmental Council
Main Headquarters: 230 Broadway, Suite 150, Springfield, IL  62701
Chicago Office: 70 E. Lake, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60601
Cell:  217-493-9455
E-mail:  jwal...@ilenviro.org
www.ilenviro.org
Facebook.com/ilenviro



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