[Foundation-l] Volunteer Council - A shot for a resolution

[Ray Saintonge]

Ziko van Dijk wrote:
> Addition: I do not want to sound more harsh than necessary, and I find the
> preliminary council itself a good idea. But the question whether the final
> council will have real power and how it will fit into the system should be a
> prerogative given to the preliminary council in advance.
Not really.  If you look at the various discussions over time on this 
issue, you will see that there is no shortage of issues for this Council 
to consider.  Not the least of these is how Council Membership will be 
determined.  At this time appointment is the only practical alternative 
for the Provisional Council; we would hope to have something better for 
the Council when it becomes a regular institution. 

As much as I agree that the Council should have real power, if in any 
way it becomes identified with a power grab it will rapidly become 
ineffectual.  The  Provisional Council needs to deal with a wide range 
of complex issues for which there is little or no precedent.  It's 
dealing with a unique top-10 internet project that has marshalled the 
volunteer energies of an enormous assortment of volunteers that 
transcend the usual barriers of language, nation and political 
philosophy.  Doing it right can have far-reaching influence beyond the 
governance of Wikimedia.

Once the Provisional Council is established its most important task will 
be to develop the trust of both the Board and Community.

Ec