[alac] Re: [alac-admin] Re: Long but important, and action needed: Selecting the 2006 ICANN Nominating Committee

[Wendy Seltzer <wendy@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

This timeline sounds as though it is too short for ALAC to get 
meaningful participation from the numerous geographically diverse 
groups it is supposed to represent.  I can't see any way we could get 
input from the at-large and appoint nomcomm members in time for 
people from remote regions to arrange for travel to Vancouver in less 
than a month.  In that case, starting meetings in Vancouver will 
marginalize at-large input from the start.

Can we hear from ALAC's other previous nomcomm appointees to see if 
they agree with Bret that there is no need to start the process this early?

--Wendy

At 10:58 AM 11/8/2005 -0800, ICANN At-Large - Denise Michel wrote:
> See note below from current NomCom chair that Vittorio and I 
> received today (it was sent to the chairs of all ICANN 
> constituencies/stakeholders).  The bottom line is that he says 
> ICANN's Board has approved a meeting of the 2006 NomCom in Vancouver 
> and has asked that the 5 At-Large delegates be appointed (and secure 
> travel!) before 30 November (official start of ICANN Vancouver meeting).
>
> Although the ALAC had a couple days head start in initiating its 
> delegate selection process, in my view, this 20-day notice  that 
> 2006 NomCom delegates need to be in Vancouver is unreasonable and 
> unfair to At-Large.   It means that the 22+ At-Large Structure 
> groups in 4 geographic regions need to identify and come to 
> agreement on potential delegates, the ALAC then needs to conduct due 
> diligence on these recommendations and make its final selection (and 
> find a suitable North American delegate itself), and then these 
> individuals need to be contacted and need to make last minute 
> arrangements to be in Vancouver for a week.  If all of this fails to 
> happen then, presumably, the 2006 NomCom will start its work without 
> the At-Large delegates.
>
> I think this unreasonable timeline potentially undermines the NomCom 
> process and disadvantages At-Large, the ICANN group with the most delegates.
>
> Your thougts?
>
> Denise
> michel@xxxxxxxxx
>
> George Sadowsky wrote:
>
> > All,
> >
> > I am writing to you as Chair of the ICANN 2005 Nominating Committee Chair,
> > in preparation for the formation of the 2006 Nominating Committee, for
> > which a Chair is in the process of being chosen.
> >
> > This summer the 2005 Nominating Committee made a recommendation to the
> > ICANN Board of Directors to accelerate the start of work by future
> > Nominating Committees by changing the schedule of events. An accelerated
> > schedule would require that the Chair be selected at the earliest date
> > possible, that the constituencies and supporting organizations are asked
> > to provide representatives in a timely enough fashion that they can attend
> > the ICANN meeting in Vancouver in November/December 2005, and that the
> > Nominating Committee be provided with a mandate that allows its work to
> > start as soon as possible, perhaps at the end of that meeting 
> itself. In particular, the recommendation was to:
> >
> > 1. Ensure that the Chair of the 2006 Nominating Committee is 
> selected and appointed by the (current) 2005 Board before the end of September
> > 2005 (or as soon as practicable thereafter).
> >
> > 2. Ensure that the constituencies and supporting organizations are asked in
> > September 2005 to provide representatives to the 2006
> > committee, to be chosen and agreed upon by October 15, 2005.
> >
> > 3. Ensure that the future Chair and members of the 2006 Committee are
> > invited to come to the Annual Meeting in November-December 2005.
> >
> > 4. Provide the appropriate mandate and ensure that the 2006 
> committee starts its work immediately after the conclusion of the 
> 2005 Annual Meeting, and has its first face-to-face meeting in the 
> venue of the Annual General Meeting at that time.
> >
> > ------
> >
> > The rationale for our recommendations is as follows.
> >
> > The current schedule under which the Nominating Committee 
> operates is stressful and risks not providing sufficient time for 
> adequate information to be gathered for a thorough candidate 
> assessment.  It was clear to those of us on the Committee this year 
> that the work program and product of the Committee could be 
> considerably improved if its work could start earlier.
> >
> > For example, this past year our realistic deadline for deciding 
> upon nominations was mid-September 2005, taking into account (1) 
> the WSIS Preparatory Committee Meeting the last two weeks of 
> September, (2) the timing of the Annual General Meeting in late 
> November, (3) the nominee vetting process that would have to take 
> place prior to the announcement, (4) and the requirement that the 
> nominations be announced one month prior to the Annual General 
> Meeting in Vancouver in 2005.
> >
> > It took until about mid-March before all of the members were 
> named by the constituencies and committees, and therefore we could 
> not really start meaningful work until then.  The call for 
> Statements of Interest was posted near the end of April, with a 
> mid-June deadline. The deadline proved to be too soon to obtain an 
> adequate response, and had to be extended into mid-July.  This 
> pushed the period for obtaining references and evaluating the 
> candidates into the summer vacation period and compressed it as 
> well.  All in all, this resulted in a more crowded and less 
> supportive schedule for effective decision making than we would 
> have liked.  Our recommendation was made in order to  relieve 
> future committees of this burden.
> >
> > ------
> >
> > The Board has accepted the recommendation for an accelerated 
> schedule as it is compatible with the presently valid bylaws.
> >
> > There are two significant advantages accruing to the proposed 
> changes.  First, and the most important from our point of view, the 
> committee has three to four more months in which to solicit 
> nominations and contact references, which is really significant. 
> Second, and non-negligible, it is very likely (but not certain) 
> that the majority of those chosen for next year's Committee will 
> attend the Annual General Meeting in Vancouver in any case, thus 
> reducing travel requirements for committee members and lowering 
> costs both to ICANN and to other organizations for the first 
> meeting of the Committee.
> >
> > This decision has the following implications:
> >
> > 1. The Board will soon need to choose a Chair for the 2006 ICANN 
> Nominating Committee.  I have been informed that this process is 
> already ongoing.  The appointment of the new chair will presumably 
> become effective immediately after the close of the Annual General 
> Meeting in Vancouver, i.e. at the close of the Board meeting on 
> Sunday, December 4th.
> >
> > 2. All constituencies and Advisory Committees that are eligible 
> under the bylaws to delegate a person to serve on next year's 
> Nominating Committee should initiate a process to choose that 
> person now, and obtain his/her agreement to serve and to be present 
> in Vancouver.
> >
> > 3. The first face-to-face meeting of the 2006 Nominating 
> Committee will take place immediately after the close of the Annual 
> General Meeting.   The Committee will meet on Sunday afternoon and 
> evening as well as all day Monday.  These dates will be confirmed 
> as soon as Nominating Committee Chair has been appointed.
> >
> > 4. Members of the new Committee will be expected to come to 
> Vancouver for the Annual General Meeting, and to stay in Vancouver 
> through Monday evening, December 5th, to participate fully in this 
> first face to face meeting.
> >
> >
> > Although this schedule puts substantial time pressure on all of 
> us in the near term, the benefits that will accrue the work of the 
> Nominating Committee, as well as to ICANN as a whole, are very significant.
> >
> > ------
> >
> > Now I have several requests to make of you.
> >
> > 1. Please acknowledge receipt of this message, and confirm that 
> you are the correct representative for your constituency.  You are 
> on the addressee list for this message because you were the person 
> who provided me with the name(s) of your Nominating Committee 
> member for the 2004 Committee.  If you are NOT the right person, 
> please send me the name and e-mail address of the correct person 
> with whom to correspond.
> >
> > 2. Please initiate promptly the process for selecting your 
> representative(s) to next year's Nominating Committee.  Please 
> obtain the concurrence of the person selected, as well as his/her 
> assurance that he/she can participate fully in the complete first 
> meeting of the Committee during 4-5 December in Vancouver.
> >
> > The Nominating Committee of ICANN has a very special 
> responsibility to select leaders for the organization.  It is 
> therefore incumbent upon the members of the Nominating Committee to 
> be  well qualified, understand the organization and its place in 
> the Internet industry, and that are well qualified by virtue of 
> knowledge, experience, maturity and good judgment.  this cannot be 
> a default selection; the representatives of the constituencies and 
> the advisory committees must meet as exact standards as we expect 
> of the leaders of our organization.  Section 4 of Article 7 of the 
> ICANN bylaws states specific requirements for these representatives:
> >
> > "Delegates to the ICANN Nominating Committee shall be:
> >
> > 1. Accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity, and 
> intelligence, with reputations for sound judgment and open minds, 
> and with experience and competence with collegial large group decision-making;
> >
> > 2. Persons with wide contacts, broad experience in the Internet 
> community, and a commitment to the success of ICANN;
> >
> > 3. Persons whom the selecting body is confident will consult 
> widely and accept input in carrying out their responsibilities;
> >
> > 4. Persons who are neutral and objective, without any fixed 
> personal commitments to particular individuals, organizations, or 
> commercial objectives in carrying out their Nominating Committee 
> responsibilities;
> >
> > 5. Persons with an understanding of ICANN's mission and the 
> potential impact of ICANN's activities on the broader Internet 
> community who are willing to serve as volunteers, without 
> compensation other than the reimbursement of certain expenses; and
> >
> > 6. Persons who are able to work and communicate in written and 
> spoken English."
> >
> > 3. Keeping these requirements in mind, please select 
> representatives meeting these criteria and provide me with the name 
> and contact information of your representative, if at all possible 
> by November 15, 2005, and ensure that your representative will be 
> in Vancouver during December 4-6 (as early as November 30th for 
> ICANN week if at all possible) for the initial meeting of the 2006 
> Nominating Committee.
> >
> > 4. Please send the names and contact information of your 
> representatives both to me and to Donna Austin at donna.austin@xxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > I cannot stress enough the importance of meeting the above 
> requirements to the
> > fullest extent possible.  While there is the view that the past and present
> > Nominating Committee members satisfy the criteria, it is incumbent on all
> > constituencies and supporting organizations to search for the most mature,
> > accomplished, and high-profile people whom they trust for this vital
> > function of ICANN, those who in turn can search for and attract the most
> > experienced and able candidates to the Board and other roles designated by
> > the Nominating Committee.
> >
> > Both I and the new Chair of the 2006 Nominating Committee thank 
> you for your assistance in getting next year's Committee activities 
> off to a good start!
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > George Sadowsky
> > Chair, ICANN 2005 Nominating Committee
> >
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > George Sadowsky                        george.sadowsky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > 64 Sweet Briar Road                   http://www.georgesadowsky.com/
> > Stamford, CT  06905-1514                 GSM mobile: +1.202.415.1933
> > tel: +1.203.329.3288                    CDMA mobile: +1.203.219.8250
> > Voice mail and fax: +1.203.547.6020                  SKYPE: sadowsky

--
Wendy Seltzer -- wendy@xxxxxxxxxxx
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School
Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet & Society
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/seltzer.html
Chilling Effects: http://www.chillingeffects.org