[NA-Discuss] SOI thread [was: Re: Election update]

[Eric Brunner-Williams]

Bob,

Like Avri, who responded to your note earlier, I too participated in
the GNSO's Operations Steering Committee (OSC), Operations Work Team
(OWT) -- as an invited party from the City Top-Level Domain Interest
Group, the proposed City Top-Level-Domain Constituency (CTLDC),
proposed by municipal governments -- and Action Item #2 was the
Statements of Interest/Declarations of Interest (SoI/DoI) for the GNSO
Council and subordinate GNSO entities.

We started with Section 5227 of the California Nonprofit Public
Benefit Corporation Law ("CNPBCL") for the definition of "interested
persons", in the context of Board members and their duties to
disclose.  You may want to look at that for guidance.

I can't comment on the observation you cite, but my impression is that
we were concerned with conflicts of interest, actual or latent, not on
the neat things a volunteer does that may be of relevance and merit,
as the problem to be solved is the lack of transparency and
accountability in a body exercising delegated agency to make rules
concerning industry and which is captured by that same industry,
resulting in incumbency favoring rules.

Lawyers of course have their own, additional, professional
responsibility requirements, when representing clients which have
actual or potential interests before the rule making agency.

Julie Hedlund staffed the GNSO OSC OWT, and Ray Fassett chaired the
Work Team, who you can turn to if you've questions, and there is both
Avri and I, as well as the several attorneys active in the RALO.

Eric