[At-Large] [ALAC] ELECTION CALL for ALAC Officers to serve from 22 October 2012 to ICANN AGM 2013

Tue Sep 18 20:30:46 UTC 2012

Dear All,

I agree with the views that Rinalia made.Carlos and Gareth raise important
points. These are my personal views on the issues that Evan raised, namely:

(1) ICANN's Internal Complexity;
(2) Danger of not completing unfinished business

"Rotation for the sake of rotation" is a way of pigeon holing the issues. I
will clarify what I meant when I suggested rotation. Evan you raise some
very good views and it is good to generate dialogue.

*Why Rotation is Healthy?*

*Expanded Sight*
*
*
Rotation is healthy and helps to offer fresh and dynamic perspectives. Each
ALAC member brings to the ALAC a unique set of socializations, skill sets
and understanding where together, the panoramic view formed and forged
creates powerful synergy as far as carrying out ALAC's core objectives.

*Systems and Structures are already in place*
*
*
The ALAC is a Team of volunteers both elected and appointed. Each ALAC
member is expected when called upon to be able to carry out duties from
time to time. Article XI of the Bylaws Section 2 Subsection 4 spells out
the duties of the ALAC. For the 10 years that ALAC has been in place, it
now has systems and structures that enable the carriage of each of these
functions. The At Large Staff also provides support in this regard.

*ALAC has an important role in ICANN's Accountability Mechanisms*
*
*
The volume of work achieved by the ALAC to date is the combination of
excellent leadership and work of all ALAC and At Large Worldwide and is an
example of collaboration. It goes without saying that the core functions of
the ALAC have systems in place to enable and facilitate Input from all of
ALAC and At Large from time to time. The Bylaws recognise that the ALAC
have an important role in ICANN's Accountability mechanisms etc.

*Sustainability of Operations*
*
*
The reality of any business or organisation is that there will always be an
ongoing need to address "sustainability", this is why there are systems
that are designed to ensure that the risks are managed. The rationale
behind documenting of meetings through recording of calls, keeping minutes
of meetings, keeping records of resolutions etc is to ensure that there is
"Accountability" and "Transparency" and also to enable others to pick up
where they left off.

There is legitimacy in the "Continuity Arguments" hence the nominations
retaining the Chair and one more. For continuity, having two is more than
enough to sustain and conclude the "projects, business that you suggest".

*Create Opportunities for Others Growth *

The idea of having rotation is not borne out of "vendetta" or "ambition".
As mentioned before, I have no interest in joining the Executive Committee.
It is simply borne out of the desire to see others within ALAC grow and be
given a chance to hold these positions of leadership. There are many people
within the ALAC and those who have won elections that are more than capable
of holding positions on the ExCom. The strength of the ALAC  is the entire
ALAC as a Team.

*Opportunities for Providing Guidance*
The premise that if ALAC is a Team, then there can be a period where
"guidance", "coaching", "mentoring" can be provided by those who have
formerly sat in those positions on certain matters.

On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 5:38 AM, Gareth Shearman <shearman at victoria.tc.ca>wrote:

> +1
>
> Gareth
>
> On 2012-09-18, at 9:38 AM, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
>
> > On 18 September 2012 09:57, Carlos Vera Quintana <cveraq at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> +1 this is a very reasonable position. We have to have rotation and new
> >> faces all the time in all positions.
> >>
> >
> > As someone standing for re-election, I have an obvious bias in the
> > discussion. However, even were I not, I would be intrigued -- and a
> little
> > unsettled -- by the concept of "change for the sake of change".
> >
> > There are term limits for many positions within At-Large leadership -- I
> am
> > in my last of two terms as ALAC member -- and I am curious to know the
> > rationale behind "new faces all the time" in a manner that exceeds both
> the
> > intent and the practice of these reasonable limits.
> >
> > This is now my sixth year within ICANN as a volunteer and I am only now
> > finding a comfort level with the many layers and complexities of working
> > within ICANN's policy development. That may just mean that I'm slow, but
> I
> > would suggest that ICANN possesses a level of internal complexity
> rivalling
> > that of a UN or government bureacuracy. It takes time just to learn.
> >
> > Insisting on rapid rotation -- for the sake of rapid rotation -- ensures
> > that ALAC leadership will never have the depth necessary to deal with
> > issues that matter to Internet end-users. Our adversaries -- those who
> > dispense with the public interest because of financial gain -- have no
> such
> > limits. Indeed there are many within the domain industry who have been
> > involved with ICANN since its inception and are acutely aware of its
> inner
> > workings and how to manipulate them for gain. Given our reasonable levels
> > of term limits our people will never achieve the level of personal
> > entrenchment enjoyed by industry, but I would suggest that the rapid
> > rotation suggested by some here would be absolutely devastating to the
> > ability of ICANN At-Large to assert itself in the corridors of power.
> >
> > If there are issues with the performance of individuals running for
> > re-election, general complaints about leadership or direction, or the
> > ascendency of people advocating fresh priorities or changes of strategy,
> by
> > all means let's bring them forward and engage in useful debate and an
> > informed election. I welcome such engagement. But I know that there are a
> > number of issues that I personally am involved with and consider
> > "unfinished business" -- unfinished because they just take so long to
> > process through ICANN. The others running for re-election have their own
> > priorities in this regard. I think it would be a shame -- and damaging to
> > the At-Large cause -- if many of these efforts are forced to pause while
> > being rebooted or re-learned simply because of an election based on
> theory
> > that looks good on paper but works poorly in the negotiations room.
> >
> > Two years from now, because of term limits, I know for certain that I
> will
> > be off not only the executive but my ALAC position. I will welcome my
> > replacement. I fully understand and appreciate the need to share the load
> > and encourage new voices, both as a matter of outreach and keeping
> At-Large
> > constantly in touch. But I suggest that there is a balance to be struck
> > between continuity and refreshment, and that the balance currently in
> place
> > within ALAC is a good one. Going more narrowly than term limits to assert
> > change for its own sake does a disservice to incumbents and all of
> At-Large.
> >
> > In most organizations of which I'm aware -- whether corporation,
> government
> > or NPO -- frequent changes of leadership does not indicate stability or
> > success.
> >
> > - Evan
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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> >
>
>
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-- 
Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala
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