RE: [atlarge-discuss] Rules on Election of Chair

[Joanna Lane <jo-uk@rcn.com>]

From: Vittorio Bertola [mailto:vb@vitaminic.net]
> We could ask someone to manually act as a tiny version of our
> elections system: each panel member sends him his vote, he assigns
> back an anonymized code and publishes back all votes anonymized. I
> think that our current watchdogs could be available to run this.

I disagree with this suggestion because it reflects a Board that is not open
or transparent in its decision making processes.


> Anyway, please, this issue is bursting out too much. The point is not
> running a beauty contest, but is selecting a Chair that can be
> effective and unite the panel and the membership, rather than split
> them up in two different parties. I think that all panel members would
> have sufficient skills to be effective Chairs; so in my view it is
> better if we all agree on a candidate that can represent all of us,
> rather than growing up a conflict. We were not elected to struggle for
> a seat, but to accomplish some real work; and after all, we all share
> the final goals.

No we don't all share the same goals, that's the problem. Look Vittorio, I
don't want to go down this rat hole, but it has to be said that nobody is
struggling for the Chair except you, and the only problem I have with that
is the manner in which you're going about it, which is not democratic. By my
count, you have made 3 attempts to grab the Chair for yourself and control
the groups' future agenda, all in the space of some 24 hours since the
election results were announced, and none of them involve voting by the
newly elected representatives of the membership. What's wrong with this
picture?.

First you staked a claim to be the Chair without a democratic vote of the
newly elected Panel, claiming more votes than anybody else, when in fact you
received less than 10% of total votes cast by members and less than 10% of
votes cast for those who were actually elected. When this was objected and
Hans helpfully stepped in and started to coordinate the nominations,
suddenly, some rules appeared out of the blue that reinstate you as some
kind of Interim Chair of the new Panel until such time as a new Chair is
elected, and givews you the authority to manage an expedited process that if
it fails, (possibly for a reason you yourself instigate), then benefits you
by reinstating you as Chair and eliminating the rights of the newly elected
panel to elect their Chair at all for another year. If that isn't a power
grab that cheats the electorate out of their democratic rights, I don't know
what is.

To go further, neither the Panel or the membership have approved your
ill-conceived Charter that you have also thrust upon this panel without due
process, and it is misleading in the extreme to imply membership approval
simply because you insisted it was attached to the ballot paper. The Interim
panel did not tie the hands of the new panel, who are perfectly free to set
their own agenda in consultation with the members who elected them, so why
are you now posting this all over the place with the title "Mandate"? If the
Panel wants to use it, they will, but "mandate" is misleading. Please change
it to "Suggested Mandate". That will resolve that confusion.

> It appears clear to me that I cannot, at this stage, be supported by
> the whole panel; and the same can be said for Joanna and Jamie.

Let's examine this ICANNspeak statement in detail shall we. I think new
people might find this one informative. It appears that you have been unable
to raise the support of the majority of the Panel members to continue as
Chair, so now you want to change the rules from a *majority* Vote of the
Panel to the *whole* of the Panel, thereby using your one vote to block the
election of other candidates that you do not like. Cute.


I am
> thought to be too moderate, and they are thought to be too extreme.
> --
> vb.               [Vittorio Bertola - v.bertola [a] bertola.eu.org]<------

Pure reverse ICANNspeak. What this is saying is that those that support an
ICANN that honors the MoU, Green and White papers, direct elections for 9
seats on the Board etc. are considered Extremist by the majority of the
elected Panel. I don't think so. However, those that support the your
"Mandate", which constrains the organization more or less to working within
whatever framework ICANN dictates, top down, with no elections, votes or
power for the At large anywhere in the process, are considered Moderate by
the Panel. That's funny, 4 years ago ICANN supported what is now being
labelled extremist views by you.


So
> wouldn't it be simpler if we agreed on another person?

Simpler? No. Better to have more candidates? Yes. Please Nominate whoever
you like Vittorio. I welcome your suggestions and would only request you
consider that the Panel must not put any person in the position of being
indispensible, so at the very least, we need a Chair and Vice-Chair who can
interweave duties and take over smoothly one from another in unforseen
circumstances, and during short periods of absence, so there must be a good
working relationship between the two.

I welcome your inclusion on the new Panel, we need all viewpoints, but I
think you might have to accept the possibility that not only will you not be
Chair, but that you are in a minority position on this Panel on quite a few
issues. This still gives you an equal opportunity to pursuade the other 10
members to vote with you on each and every issue that comes up just the same
as any other panel member and if I am elected Chair (and strictly speaking I
haven't actually accepted the nomination yet), then I would certainly make
sure your voice is heard.

You have my word that if, at any time, you can pursuade the majority of the
Panel to vote you in as Chair again, I will happily step down and let you
take my place. What I cannot be expected to do is agree to work with you as
Co-Chairs, because this would not in the best interests of the organization
right now, sorry.

I hope this clears some air.

Regards,
Joanna



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