[Foundation-l] Wikimedia Board Elections

[Jussi-Ville Heiskanen]

On 9/16/06, Alison Wheeler <wikimedia at alisonwheeler.com> wrote:

> On Sat, September 16, 2006 09:02, Jussi-Ville Heiskanen wrote:

> > My personal strong feeling is that instead of choosing one appointed
> > member, the board should appoint two, and appoint them as *permanent*,
> > life members of the board .


> May I say, completely independent of this election and the composition of
> the current board, that I would consider the retention of *any* person as
> a "permanent" member of the Board of any business or foundation as a very
> dangerous situation. People change and people not previously considered
> may appear who have more appropriate skills, knowledge and connections,
> more importantly the *needs* of the Foundation will, as with any
> organisation that seeks to grow improve and thrive in the long term needs
> to have the regular ability to bring in new talent and 'retire' those who
> have served its former needs well but now need to move on so that the
> organisation improves.
>
> Just as Wikipedia has moved us all on from the 'dead-tree encyclopedia'
> age, I don't think we'd want to find ourselves stuck with a Board of 80
> year olds later in this century!

Writing this now, just as I have heard of the passing of Rob Levin, I
am very cognisant of the fleeting nature of time, and our passing
through it, only to be judged finally by posterity, but even in our
lifetimes, and in the context of the board of trustees, permanent is
of course only permanent in the sense of not being up for periodical
confirmation. I think the bylaws quite specifically make reference to
the boards ability to dismiss members of itself by an internal board
vote. So I think the larger point you make is moot.


-- 
--
Jussi-Ville Heiskanen, AKA. Cimon Avaro

Candidate for Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation in the
September 2006 elections.