[Osmf-talk] OSMF membership applications rejected

[Mikel Maron]

Hi

In my view, Mike Dupont was rejected for membership for the same reason as Edwin; not for a difference of opinion. Though he is a bit more serious than Edwin, Mike's behavior in the OSM community has been very disruptive. For instance, just this week he earned himself a one week ban from the talk@ lists, with the next step for any further inflammatory behavior on the lists being a permanent ban. Perhaps in time Mike will change his ways, but at the moment, his application for membership is not meant as a positive contribution to OSMF and the OSM community.

-Mikel
 
* Mikel Maron * +14152835207 @mikel s:mikelmaron


>________________________________
> From: Tobias Knerr <osm at tobias-knerr.de>
>To: osmf-talk at openstreetmap.org 
>Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2012 11:05 AM
>Subject: Re: [Osmf-talk] OSMF membership applications rejected
> 
>On 25.08.2012 16:15, Henk Hoff wrote:
>> Mike's application was a simple one. However, his application raised
>> some issues based on his disruptive behavior in the recent past. Adding
>> his refusal to comply with the Contributor Terms of the project, the
>> Board concluded to not grant him membership.
>
>Mike's behavior in the past was controversial for one fundamental
>reason: Because he is an outspoken opponent of the current Board's
>policy, and has repeatedly and loudly voiced this opinion. His decision
>to not accept the Contributor Terms with his original account is one of
>the, rather extreme, actions that he took based on that position.
>However, disagreement with Board policy is not necessarily the same as
>opposition to OSMF, or even OSM as a whole.
>
>The decision to reject his membership application may justifiable based
>on his conflict of interest as a supporter of a competing project.
>However, I'm not aware that such a strict standard was applied to
>membership applications in the past, and I must therefore assume that
>his intention to be a candidate in the upcoming election has influenced
>the decision.
>
>This is troubling because it effectively limits the choices of voters to
>candidates who are more or less in line with the current board's
>opinions. This is not what the board's power to deny membership should
>be used for!
>
>I believe that it would have been wise to accept Mike's membership
>application, and trust the OSMF members to use their votes responsibly.
>
>Tobias
>
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>
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