[opensource-wg] Call for support of co-chair candidates

> On 16. 12. 2023, at 18:02, Paul Arola <paul.arola at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Initially, the voting process was defined by specific and clear guidelines. The retrospective amendment of these criteria after the election raises significant concerns about transparency and the integrity of the democratic process within our community. Changing these rules post-factum sets a precedent that is both unexpected and concerning.

On the contrary. The process isn’t and wasn’t really “formal”, because we didn’t have to have a formal process.

The way I read the decision from the chair, they strive to have the voting process work for the existing community. If suddenly there’s a surge of people who were never active in this community subscribing to the mailing list and voting for any of the candidates, I would consider this be a kind of hostile takeover.

Honestly, I think the only fair way out of this would be if the candidate who received the surge of votes from people outside of this community stepped down. A co-chair elected with votes from people who never participated in the RIPE community would not be accepted by this community and it would be divisive and toxic to the future work.

Ondrej
--
Ondřej Surý (He/Him)

On Sat, Dec 16, 2023, at 18:01, Paul Arola wrote:
> Dear Marcos Sanz, Martin Winter, and the RIPE Community,
> 
> 
> 
> I hope this message finds you well. I am writing in response to the recent announcement regarding the change in the voting criteria for the open co-chair position within the Open Source Working Group.
> 
> 
> 
> Initially, the voting process was defined by specific and clear guidelines. The retrospective amendment of these criteria after the election raises significant concerns about transparency and the integrity of the democratic process within our community. Changing these rules post-factum sets a precedent that is both unexpected and concerning.
> 
> 
> 
> This decision also raises questions about the RIPE Open Source Working Group's approach to collaboration. The use of terms like "our open source arena" only confirms exclusivity and combativeness, which is not conducive to the open and collaborative nature of open source communities. It goes against the spirit of open source, which emphasizes inclusivity and community-driven development.

Moreover, the chairs did not provide a clear explanation as to why the voting rules needed to be changed in the first place. The only rationale offered was a reference to "unusual traffic" on the mailing list during the past two weeks. However, upon observation, this traffic is only related to the voting process, which was explicitly requested and encouraged by the chairs themselves. Clearly, such a perspective suggests a desire to maintain existing power dynamics and unfortunately limits new engagement.
> 
> 
> 
> This approach contradicts the very essence of a dynamic, community-driven platform, where open discussion and participation are fundamental. The lack of a substantive explanation for altering the voting rules post-factum, coupled with the dismissal of voting-related activity as "unusual," suggests a preference for maintaining existing power dynamics over fostering a vibrant, participatory community discourse.
> 
> 
> 
> Instead of the newly minted and spontaneously crafted criteria revealed to us this morning, I propose a more transparent approach. It would be more enlightening for the chairs to publicly detail the reasons behind each voter's acceptability or unacceptability, moving away from the arbitrary constructs they have presented here. Providing transparency to both the voters and the candidates would offer much-needed insights from the chairs that define what constitutes an 'eligible' voter and clarify the operation of this "arena."
> 
> 
> 
> As part of that process, it would be constructive if the chairs could offer guidance on how those currently deemed 'unfit' voters might become eligible in the future, as well as any potential pitfalls that current 'eligible' voters should avoid to maintain their status. Such openness would greatly aid in demystifying the voting process and ensuring a fair and inclusive community environment.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for considering this feedback. I look forward to a constructive and open discussion on these matters.
> 
> 
> 
> With best regards,
> 
> 
> 
> -paul
> 
> 
> 
> (From TELUS Communications, a Telco who does considerable funding of open source initiatives)
> 
> 
> On Sat., Dec. 16, 2023, 12:57 a.m. Marcos Sanz via opensource-wg, <opensource-wg at ripe.net> wrote:
>> Dear working group,
>> Dear RIPE community,
>> 
>> The two weeks period to express preferences for one (or more) of the candidates to the open co-chair position is over. First and foremost: thanks to everyone who actively participated in the mailing list.
>> 
>> After the somehow unusual traffic in the list during the past two weeks, Martin and I decided that we would like to prioritize the voices of active participants in the working group or the RIPE community at large towards the voices of those who could not be identified as such. Trying to find hard criteria for this is not easy, but nevertheless we had to, so this is the result of our deliberations:
>> 
>> We will not consider the vote of those who a) were not subscribed to the RIPE open source mailing list as of the beginning of the voting window (last 30th November, day of the OSS wg meeting) AND b) have not attended a single RIPE meeting since RIPE 80, neither in presence nor remote. A bit of rationale about the latter: we took RIPE 80 because it is the point in time where Meetecho support was mature enough for the RIPE meeting to be organized completely virtual (admittedly, in
>> kind of involuntary manner 😉). That entails everyone wanting to join a meeting could have done so, even if lacking the financial means.
>> 
>> We believe that we want votes from the active community who is involved in the future and was involved in the past with the Open Source WG / RIPE and are familiar with our past work and the candidates for the new WG chair position. As such, we do believe that new signups with no prior history of involvement in the community should not qualify to vote this time. We do believe that we have three excellent candidates and each of them has some great skills, but understanding the skills required to further improve this group is hard to be judged by anyone who was never part of RIPE. Please do not misunderstand this step as a sign of hostility towards newcomers: you are and always be welcome to join the community at anytime and to start participating in our open source arena as of now!
>> 
>> We have presented this process and its rationale to the RIPE chair and no opposition was expressed for us to move ahead. Based on these criteria we’ll now review all expressions of support in the mailing list and plan to provide you with an outcome as soon as possible. If you think we are making a wrong decision, please speak up within the next few days.
>> 
>> Best regards,
>> 
>> Marcos and Martin
>> Open Source WG Chairs
>> 
>> > -----Mensaje original-----
>> > De: opensource-wg <opensource-wg-bounces at ripe.net> En nombre de
>> > Marcos Sanz via opensource-wg
>> > Enviado el: jueves, 30 de noviembre de 2023 10:27
>> > Para: opensource-wg at ripe.net
>> > Asunto: [opensource-wg] Call for support of co-chair candidates
>> > 
>> > Dear all,
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > as explained today during the working group session, three people have
>> > volunteered to fill the one open co-chair vacancy. Sorted by sha256() over
>> > their full name, the candidates are
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > -Christian Scheele
>> > 
>> > -Luka Perkov
>> > 
>> > -Sasha Romijn
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > Big thanks to all of them for their offer to support the community, we are
>> > happy to see such an interest! The candidates have introduced themselves
>> > and their motivations also during today’s session. In case you missed it, you
>> > can watch the specific recordings here:
>> > 
>> > https://ripe87.ripe.net/archives/video/1214
>> > 
>> > https://ripe87.ripe.net/archives/video/1217
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > Now this is a public call for support of the candidates, open for TWO WEEKS
>> > starting now and ENDING 14th December (EOB UTC). If you want to support
>> > one (or more) candidate(s), please send a public message doing so to this
>> > mailing list. Statements of support cannot be anonymous, so please finish the
>> > e-mail with your name.
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > It’s also possible (even helpful) to support more than one candidate (to be
>> > able to break potential ties). If you’d wish to do so, please deliver your
>> > statement of support with the candidate names sorted by preference.
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > Now it’s your time to contribute by choosing the new co-chair: help the
>> > community!
>> > 
>> > Marcos Sanz & Martin Winter
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
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>> opensource-wg at ripe.net
>> https://mailman.ripe.net/
>> 
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--
Ondřej Surý (He/Him)
ondrej at sury.org
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