Florence Devouard wrote:
You may add some middle path solutions. But not so many I fear
There are solutions, of course.
1) "WMF as a legal body only". It is the present situation and I don't see a lot of differences between having elected or appointed Board members. Actually, in this case, I prefer appointed expert body. (But, who would appoint Board members? Board itself?)
2) "WMF as a representative democratic body". My opinion is that the better way of making such body is to make a real assembly (let's say, 50 members, but may be more, may be less). That body would elect experts for Board members.
3) "WMF as appointed body by chapters". While it is too early to talk about this option (I expect maturity of this idea when something like 50 chapters [including state level chapters in USA and other big countries] would be created), it may be a good solution in the future with fixing needed for some underrepresented contributors.
4) 2&3. Bicameral assembly: one elected by contributors, one elected by local chapters. Such assembly would appoint Board.
(In cases 2, 3 and 4 assembly may function on Internet, of course.)
* * *
While WMF is better the it was, there are still a number of systematic problems. The main problem *is* ambivalent position of the Board: something between despotic, oligarchic and representative democratic body. (Of course, in the sense of from where power comes, not in the sense of methods.)
I don't want to say which option is better. I just want to say that it is necessary to make a clear image to the community: What WMF is (not what Wikimedia is, but what WMF and its Board is)? Is it a communal or a private business?
Even it is a private business (or a business of a couple of people), it is not necessarily bad (there are a lot of good private foundations; actually, WMF started as a good private foundation).
But, community is confused and it needs answers. At least, how do *you* (Board members) see WMF in the next two or five years? If you are not possible to make a collective statement, please make personal statements.