[sakai-pmc] VOTE: PMC chair/vice-chair tenure and election bylaws changes

[John Bush]

+1

On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 9:59 AM, Sam Ottenhoff <ottenhoff at longsight.com> wrote:
> +1
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 11:51 AM, Anthony Whyte <arwhyte at umich.edu> wrote:
>>
>> On 19 December 2013 Sam Ottenhoff proposed that we revise the PMC chair's
>> term of election.  A number of amendments regarding the position of
>> vice-chair were offered by other PMC members and the proposal below
>> incorporates the suggested changes to the original proposal.
>>
>> Overview
>> The six month rotating chair rule inherited from TCC practice specifies
>> too short a time period between elections to ensure effective continuity in
>> office for members elected to serve a committee now responsible for
>> oversight of the Sakai project within a broader Apereo community. The rule
>> results in the PMC chair and vice-chair rotating too often and results in
>> too much time spent on elections. The frequency of rotations between chairs
>> also complicates communications between the PMC and other bodies (Foundation
>> director, conference planning, licensing, etc) and contributes to a
>> perception of instability within the committee.
>>
>> Proposal
>> The PMC will extend the term of office to one year for both the chair and
>> vice-chair per Apache PMC protocol and eliminate the practice of automatic
>> succession of the vice-chair to the chair upon completion of the chair's
>> term in office.
>>
>> Specifically, the following sections of the bylaws will be amended as
>> follows:
>>
>> Section 1.2 PMC chair
>>
>> Strike the following language:
>>
>> Rotating position. Elected by simple majority vote of membership unless
>> replaced by vice-chair according to order of succession described below.
>> Term: 6 months
>>
>> Replace with:
>>
>> Elected by a simple majority vote of the membership. The chair shall hold
>> office for a period of one year or until his or her successor is elected and
>> qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal.  If the chair
>> resigns or is removed the vice-chair will succeed to the chair and serve out
>> the remainder of the former chair's term.  If an election results in a tie
>> between candidates for the position of chair, successive run-off elections
>> will be held until a candidate is elected by a simple majority vote of the
>> membership.
>>
>> Section 1.3 PMC vice chair
>>
>> Strike the following language:
>>
>> Rotating position. Elected by a simple majority vote of membership every 6
>> months. Succeeds current PMC chair when the chair's term expires.
>> Term: 6 months
>>
>> Replace with:
>>
>> Elected by a simple majority vote of the membership. The vice chair shall
>> hold office for a period of one year or until his or her successor is
>> elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal.
>> If the vice-chair resigns, is removed or replaces a chair who has resigned
>> or been removed a special election will be held to elect a vice chair to
>> serve out the remainder of the term.  If an election results in a tie
>> between candidates for the position of vice chair, successive run-off
>> elections will be held until a candidate is elected by a simple majority
>> vote of the the membership.
>>
>> Section 3.0 Elections
>>
>> Strike the following language:
>>
>> The method for breaking a tie is still subject to debate. Suggestions
>> include:
>>
>> In a future PMC election if there is a tie, a run off election will be
>> held among the tied candidates following the same election procedures.
>> If members are still tied after the election, a virtual coin toss will be
>> held when only two tied candidates are left.
>> The coin toss method may change, but currently it will be via
>> http://cointossr.com/ between the chair and vice chair. The candidate who is
>> represented by heads and tails is arranged prior to the toss when the chair
>> sends the link to the vice chair.
>>
>>
>> In addition, the existing 6 month tenures of the current chair and
>> vice-chair's tenure will be extended until 30 June 2014 in order to both
>> simplify the transition to a new election model and establish a July to June
>> period of tenure for both positions.
>>
>> Polls open
>>
>> Voting is now open and will conclude no later than Monday, 13 January
>> 2014, 11:59:59 UTC
>>
>> As earlier noted, both the current chair and vice-chair will recuse
>> themselves from this vote.
>>
>>
>> anthony whyte | its and mlibrary | university of michigan |
>> arwhyte at umich.edu | 517-980-0228
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
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-- 
John Bush
602-490-0470

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