I really didn't want to get involved in this, but I'm impulsive. However, my impulsiveness and my prudence have agreed that all I will do is acknowledge that, yes, the Chair of any charity is a special role with special responsibilities.I encourage members to think about that.
Yes, that's true. Though so far in Wikimedia UK's history, we've always trusted the Board to appoint a Chair who's effective in the post. It's mainly worked pretty well, and I have a lot of confidence in the current Board to find someone good.
However, it is worth thinking about what happens if someone turns out to be a poor Chair. In which case, it's a simple matter for the Board to remove them - there only needs to be a majority vote in a board meeting. Or more likely, they'll quickly get the message and resign before they're sacked.
Chris