I think admins play it too safe.
I agree. There are many cases when what the community wants isn't in
the encyclopaedia's best interest. The concept of consensus seems to
take precedence over doing what's right. Unfortunately, it's very
difficult to define when it is appropriate for an admin to just do
what's right and when they should listen to the community.
I think it boils down to: When does community opinion on a specific
situation outweigh community opinion on the general policy that is
relevant to that situation? It's a tricky question to answer.