Jeff V. Merkey wrote:
Jimmy Wales wrote:
Michael R. Irwin wrote:
1. The Wikimedia Foundation is not independent.
It has a stacked Board
designed by Jimbo to allow him to maintain personal control.
This is an insult to the board.
--Jimbo
Adding two more seats will forever destroy this inaccurate and
misleading perception.
Check the email archives for a few months prior to the date of the final
foundation paperwork.
You will find emails messages self allegedly from Jimbo's email
accounts stating the intent to stack the Board and discussing
specifics of how he proceeded to do so.
The perception is neither inaccurate nor misleading.
Two more elected rather than Jimbo appointed seats will permanently
alter reality according to the bylaws. Whether perceptions, misceptions
or urban legends change depends of course upon individual and corporate
memories and the long term stability and reliability of our community's
electronic records.
I have heard it from several
other folks who are external observers to the Wikipedia phenomena and
its "urban legend" type of talk -- not based in fact --
and not based upon any emperical observations. I believe the root of the
misperception is how the by laws are worded.
If it were me, I would appoint these two additional positions from the
Foundations major financial contributors or foundations
supporting Wikipedia's fine work to balance out the various
representation and views.
Jeff
My empirical observations were personal and not based upon glib
dismissal of alleged hearsay from apparently distrusted sources.
Perhaps you should check privately with Anthere. As I recall she was
participating frequently on the applicable list and stood for election
in the formation of the first Board. Did Jimbo really stack the Board
or merely state publicly he was going to and proceed to write it
unilaterally (perhaps with some assistance from nonexistent cabals or
personal advisors) into the original foundation charter?
A fact is an insult to nobody unless they perceive it so. If the
allegedly stacked Board Members or appointed trustees do not feel the
Board was stacked; perhaps they should feel insulted that Jimbo
announced on the mailing publicly that he felt it was comfortably
designed to be stacked.
If you wish the specific URLs and you wish me to do your research for
you then drop me a data request at my Wikiversity talk page. My time
kibitzing here is almost over. We have active URLs with fine print
defining another prototyping period. Fun stuff. Let's all do some
work and then cancel again for lack of discouraged participation.
Sincerely,
Michael R. Irwin