Hey List,
final part of three - I think after all this gloom I do have to propose some solutions too:
#1 EASY but hard on the ego
Only activate the pretty viewer on mobile devices per default. See - easy. And those german wikipedians, who are "in Europe but certainly in the global south (GerardM)" can live happily ever after as well as those tablet driven southern rascals who are the future. Give the chapters some clearly defined discretion concerning feature-activation. Define the difference and rights (!) of the community concerning tech decisions, management stuff and content-specific decisions.
#2 HARDER but easier on the ego
Just set it active but don't hinder admins to deactivate it after local RfCs. Get rid of the - now - poisonous superprotect.
#3 DESTRUCTIVE but great for the ego
Have fun showing those volunteers who got the power. We got the money, we got the last say, we have superpowers! I mean - really?