[Foundation-l] Fwd: Wikimedia Brasil + WMF

[Ray Saintonge]

On 09/02/11 5:28 PM, Craig Franklin wrote:
> Just to add to what Illario has said, I think it's important to remember
> that most (if not all) chapters are run via a democratic system where the
> entire board or committee is elected by its members.  Appointing WMF members
> to boards would obviously dilute that democratic accountability.  Indeed, in
> my chapter to have any power we'd have to change our constitution, and I
> don't see our members being overly sympathetic to having a perceived
> "unelected outsider" on the board making decisions.  Unless the WMF
> representatives are going to run for election in the normal fashion, or
> unless they're going to be mute observers with no effective powers
> whatsoever, I don't think this idea is practical at all.
>

I don't think that the legalities of implementing such a scheme are the 
real problem.  If a chapter wanted some kind of WMF representation on 
its board I'm sure it could find a legal way of accomplishing this.  The 
problem is with wanting this in the first place.  If chapter members see 
such a presence as somewhere between useless and hostile, they are not 
going be enthusiastic to finding ways to make it happen.

Ray