Patricio,
Thank you for your email.
Some comments:
1. The document on Meta says, "Yes. James had - as all of us - access to all documents and information which he needed for his work and decision-making on the Board." That is a little different than the question that was being asked here. The question is, were any financial documents withheld from James? The statement on Meta is a little vague about who made the decisions about the documents that James needs for his work and decision-making. If someone else made decisions about which documents were appropriate for James to have, instead of letting James have complete access to financial records, that would be a matter of concern.
2. While I understand that some Board conversations are best held in private, for example conversations involving attorney-client privilege, I continue to believe that there is a misalignment between the democratic and open-source values of the Wikimedia movement and the limited information that the community is provided about WMF Board deliberations. There seems to be an assumption that full and honest discussions are best held behind closed doors so that people in the room feel comfortable with voicing their opinions. It seems to me that this is a doctrine which is contrary to the values of our movement, and I would urge the Board to change its approach. I would also note that many jurisdictions in the United States have laws requiring government bodies like city councils and legislatures to have their meetings in full view of the public unless there is a specific exemption for a subject that is to be discussed in private. These governments, in many cases, continue to function effectively despite the public and sensitive nature of deliberations on topics like budgets, land use planning, environmental regulations, appointments of judges, service contracts, and allegations of misconduct against fellow elected officials. The WMF Board should be a model of openness and good governance. Now is a good time for the Board to take meaningful steps toward aligning itself with our collective values.
Thank you,
Pine
On Tue, Jan 5, 2016 at 3:44 PM, Patricio Lorente <patricio.lorente@gmail.com
wrote:
Dear all,
We know that some of you have continued to have questions about the Board’s recent resolution. We have put together an FAQ addressing some of the most common or important questions. You can view the FAQ here:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/James...
We have also been meeting with the 2015 Election Committee regarding the next steps for filling the open community-selected seat. We plan to make an announcement on the roadmap for filling that seat by early next week.
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