[Osmf-talk] Special Resolution for General Meeting
Christoph Hormann
chris_hormann at gmx.de
Wed Nov 18 18:56:18 UTC 2015
Hello Frederik,
in broad strokes i am well aware of most of what you said. What i have
to ask myself as a member to vote on this resolution though is not if i
support the boards intentions for bringing up the resolution but if i
support the resolution in all of its effects - current and future.
When my answer to that is no (as indicated) this does not mean i
disapprove of the intentions of the OSMF board to improve the corporate
membership program.
> [...]
>
> If board wanted to cut special deals with individual large donors,
> that would already be possible now. Board would not need the approval
> from the membership to, say, strike a deal where HP pays for all our
> hardware and we put their logo on the front page. (Totally fictional
> example of course.) Or to sign agreements with other large donors to
> take money from them in return for one kind of favour or another.
I know and this is one of the reasons i view the OSMF in its current
form very critically - the excellent work of many on the board and in
the working groups notwithstanding. For example i think a rule that
the board needs approval from the members before accepting large
donations (like >1/3 of yearly budget by a single donor) is seriously
missing. Likewise for the fact that the OSM community as a whole (that
is mostly the mappers) have no formal say at all in the OSMF - not even
indirectly through something like an advisory council - is a serious
defect IMO.
But i am well aware that my views here are only my views and surely not
shared by everyone. I did therefore not intend to pass judgement on
the resolution but just expressed my personal view of it and the
reasons for this view. So far i have not heard arguments that
significantly rebut my concerns. That there are already other
possibilities for abuse of power by the board is not a convincing
argument for me here.
I agree with Simon in the point that if there were actual substantial
changes in control and accountability w.r.t. finances (and IMO also
overall transparency in decision making) this would go a long way
towards convincing me (and likely others) to approve such resolution.
Apart from all of this - what would be the problem of having another GM
after the changes to the corporate membership system have been worked
out, discussed with the community and the corresponding changes to the
membership fees are up for implementation? This could also be very
productive and motivating in terms of community participation - maybe
during discussion different options turn up and there could be several
competing resolutions on the matter up for vote.
--
Christoph Hormann
http://www.imagico.de/
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