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Archiver > BOARD > 2000-11 > 0973289151


From: "Teri Pettit" <>
Subject: Re: [BOARD-L] Motion 00-36 ESC report
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 14:05:51 -0800


Holly, first off I'd like to complement you and the Election Study Committee on
the thoroughness and quality of this report. It is worthy of being an example
for future study committees on other issues to aspire to.

At 8:57 AM -0800 11/3/00, Shari Handley wrote:
>The only problem I can see with accepting the report in its entirety is
>that there was one section that was left
>ambiguous due to a tie vote of the ESC regarding which way it should read.
>Therefore, we'll need to make a
>determination on that portion ourselves. Here it is:
>
>==================================
>Any member of the project who is eligible to vote is eligible for
>membership in the EC unless they are presently running
>for office. EC members who decide to run for office must immediately
>withdraw from the EC and its mailing list. This
>includes the National Coordinator and the Representative-At-Large. Should
>both of them choose to run for office, they
>shall together select another Board member who is not currently running
>for office to serve as ex-officio member of the
>EC until after the election.
>
>EXCLUSION OF BOARD MEMBERS
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-
>The ESC was evenly divided on the issue of whether or not sitting Board
>members other than the National Coordinator and
>the Representative-At-Large should also be EC members. Some members felt
>that there was a potential conflict of interest
>if Board members were also members of the EC; others felt that
>participation in the EC should not be limited.
>====================================

Shari,

It was my impression, based on the formatting in which the main entry did
not mention
any Advisory Board exclusion, while the section on exclusion of AB members
was formatted
as a minority recommendation, that despite the even vote split the
"no-exclusion" policy
was nevertheless given "majority recommendation" status, perhaps due to
past precedent.

Holly, correct me if I'm wrong.

>My own opinion is that AB members have up to now been allowed to serve on
>election committees. I don't feel there would
>be any conflict of interest if the AB member is not running for office.
>We strive very hard to be inclusive in this
>project, and so I don't see any compelling reason to EXclude *this* group.
>AB members, obviously, are also CCs, SCs,
>Special Project volunteers . . . members of The USGenWeb Project.

I agree. The Advisory Board is likely to contain a high proportion of the
"willing
to serve in a politically touchy position" members of the Project, and also
some of
the members most knowledgeable about problems with past elections. To
exclude them
all automatically would deprive the Election Committee of many potentially
valuable
members, for no compelling reason. Of course due to "cliques" there is always a
potential of conflict-of-interest by proxy, but that isn't a problem
peculiar to
Board members. That is, standing Board members not running for re-election
are no
more likely to be biased towards one particular candidate than are other
project
members, some of whom while not running for office themselves act as de-facto
campaign managers for someone else.

-- Teri

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