Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette The Keweenaw Co+op Market and Deli, in Hancock.

HANCOCK — Keweenaw Co-op’s Wednesday Board of Trustees meeting featured a contentious public comment period where co-op owners addressed the Board of Trustees and newly hired Keweenaw Co-op General Manager, Josh Paakola.

The majority of grievances spoken Wednesday had to do with the updated guidelines for posting on the co-op’s community bulletin board.

“Our community board is here to connect neighbors, share local happenings, and support our vibrant community,” the posted guidelines state.

Some co-op owners took issue with guidelines prohibiting political material.

Keweenaw Co-op owner and Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team member, Heather Mroz, said her organization’s promotional materials for the recent No Kings R mally and the upcoming Anti-Data Center protest, were repeatedly removed seemingly without explanation. Mroz said the guidelines were not made public until after the materials were removed.

Another co-op owner, Cathy Campbell-Olszewski, was curious about the policy before the guidelines were updated.

Owner Alan Salmi, said he was confused why the board was not responsible for these guidelines and claimed humans are political by nature.

Keweenaw Co-op Store Operations Manager and former Interim General Manager, Denise Hansen was present at the meeting and was one of the few who did not speak out against the policy — she was the one who created it.

Hansen said she had issue with the inclusivity of those protests.

“Whenever there is a protest, and the two documents taken down were protest documents — that is not inclusive,” she said. “When you’re protesting you are actually, you know, eliminating another person.”

Hansen added the Keweenaw Co-op community board’s goals — along with the store — are to promote inclusivity and community happenings. She said she wants to emphasize the store’s service and its welcoming atmosphere.

“We talk about food; we don’t talk about politics,” Hansen said. “We don’t talk about anything other than the fact that when you walk in our store, you’re going to get really great service.”

Mroz and the other concerned members, have a different philosophy than Hansen’s. Mroz’s public comment addressed how civic engagement is inclusive through the method of community involvement on pressing issues. Members present, including Salmi, Campbell-Olszewski and Chaundel Sammarco, echoed Mroz’s statement to the board.