Re: [ga] GA Chair-NOMINATION-Charles Sha'ban

["William X. Walsh" <william@userfriendly.com>]

Hello Joop,

Wednesday, February 28, 2001, 7:50:37 PM, Joop Teernstra wrote:

> Dear GA members,

> Electing a Chair only from only a one-dimensional on-line acquaintance is
> experimental at best and a gamble at worst.

> Qualities of self-discipline are needed, but the heart must also be in the
> right place. We should have candidates who do not really want it, but who
> are finally persuaded to do the duty by the clamor of their nominations. 
> The way we are proceeding now, with candidates nominated and then
> immediately attacked and defended, results in instant election politics
> even before nominations are accepted. 
> We will get nowhere like this.

No one was attacked, Joop.  But I agree with you that the campaign
style approach we are seeing one candidate take is not appropriate,
and nor does it show the qualities that the GA Chair needs to have.

> The only way to get enough candidates to make an election meaningful is to
> have a large number of seconded nominations.

I strongly and vehemently disagree with you here.

The nominate many approach has been tried many times in many groups
online, and to be perfectly blunt, as a rule the worst candidates end
up getting selected when it is used.  The WG Chair being perhaps the
only exception to that.

The candidates should be KNOWN to the GA members, known quantities,
whom the GA members can feel like they can put their confidence.
Massive nomination and candidate panels only lead to a divisive
choice, rather than a choice that comes much closer to a consensus
level decision.

-- 
Best regards,
 William                            mailto:william@userfriendly.com


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