[OSM-talk] From osmf-talk: "Balancing the presence of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT US Inc) in the OpenStreetMap Foundation"

[Paul Norman]

On 12/2/2015 2:12 PM, Jean-Guilhem Cailton wrote:
> It also happens that I have stopped renewing my membership to the OSMF 
> after an election where a candidate was excluded from the vote because 
> his views on a controversial subject (related to license change) were 
> strongly different from those of the majority of the previous Board. 
> Note that Mr. Maron was already a member of this outgoing Board, that 
> had a conception of basic democracy different from mine, according to 
> which it should have been up to the voters not to vote for a candidate 
> if they didn't agree with his views. So, anyway, I cannot write to 
> that list.

Although I wasn't on the board at the time, I was around then, and the 
situation was a bit different.

In 2012 two people tried to run for board without being members (i.e. 
they couldn't), and then someone tried to pay or register for their 
membership on their behalf. The board at the time rejected their 
application.

I can't find any minutes from the time and can't speak to the views of 
the board at the time, but there was a view that the person attempting 
to pay was doing it solely to cause problems.

The board at the time was Steve Coast, Henk, Oliver, Mikel, Matt Amos, 
Dermot, and Richard Fairhurst.

I didn't know the background on one of the individuals, but I'd have 
rather seen the other become a member the normal way (paying 
themselves), run for board, and lose.

Under the AoA the board cannot stop a member from running in a board 
election, and a member can only be removed for a small number of 
reasons, and they have a right of appeal to the next general meeting. 
There are also provisions under the Companies' Act for OSMF members to 
remove board members.