Governance Structure Proposal for Ubuntu-AU

[benchen70]

Hi Matthew,

Thank you for your ideas, I think they are wonderful.

Just out of curiosity, I am just wondering about the state
requirements of the ordinary committee members. Is there any
particular reason for 2 preferentially from states outside Victoria,
Queensland and NSW?

Also with the election, how exactly do each person promote themselves?
I mean, the community is not particularly large number of people, so
quite likely, a lot of the members know each other. However, is there
any formal process and regulation of personal promotion/'advertising'
to become a committee member, vice-president, president and
chairperson? Just like a normal election, where each candidate state
their goals and aspirations, are we to have the similar process for
our elections of presidents and chairpersons - even though our goals
and aspirations may not be for a nation or city ;)?

Again, thank you for this idea!

Regards,

Benjamin Chen

On Mar 7, 11:20 pm, Matthew Rossi <m... at pcpodcast.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> In light of the recent discussions regarding the future of our LoCo, I
> thought that I would pitch in my own idea for how we can govern the LoCo.
> Over the last few years, it has become obvious that the unstructured way
> that our LoCo operates isn't working too well.  From the surface, it doesn't
> appear that a lot is being done, and those who are actually volunteering are
> flying under the radar.  As a LoCo I believe we should become more organised
> and structured in our approach, so I am proposing a small committee system
> to be formed within the LoCo to essentially run the show and direct the LoCo
> as a whole towards achieving the stated goals of the group.
>
> The following is a basic outline of the structure of my committee proposal.
>  There are references to a charter, which would be formed by the committee
> itself if established:
>
> Personnel:
>
> *Chairperson (Virtually a Ceremonial Role)*
>
> Responsibilities
>
>    -
>    - to act as an independent adjudicator of all elections and votes held
>    within the committee itself and the broader LoCo community as per the rules
>    of the charter
>    - to give assent to the results of votes and elections as stipulated
>    above, and to change the charter where the committee has approved an
>    amendment via a vote
>    - to ensure that all rules as set in the charter are enforced within the
>    organisation
>    - to set the time, place, agenda, chair and provide logs/recordings (via
>    the mailing list and wiki) of all meetings in consultation with the
>    committee
>    - to represent the Ubuntu-AU LoCo as a leader and to promote the
>    organisation and the Ubuntu distribution where necessary.
>    - to serve as a mailing list (or IRC if necessary) moderator
>
> If this proposal is implemented, I request that for the first term that I
> take the role of chairperson without an election to ensure that this system
> is implemented smoothly.
>
> *President (Team Contact)*
> *
> *
> Responsibilities
>
>    - to serve and fulfil the role of Team Contact for the Ubuntu-AU LoCo in
>    its present form
>    - to organise promotional events, exhibition stalls, CD distribution etc.
>    - to represent the Ubuntu-AU LoCo as a leader and to promote the
>    organisation and the Ubuntu distribution where necessary amongst the public
>    - to liaise with the broader Ubuntu-AU community to gain access to
>    volunteers for events and to reflect the views of the broader community.
>    - to attend and actively contribute to all meetings organised by the
>    chairperson
>    - to serve as a mailing list (or IRC if necessary) moderator
>
> *Vice-President (Treasurer)*
> *
> *
> Responsibilities
>
>    - to assist the President in the previously mentioned roles
>    - to represent the Ubuntu-AU LoCo as a leader and to promote the
>    organisation and the Ubuntu distribution where necessary amongst the public
>    - to liaise with the broader Ubuntu-AU community to gain access to
>    volunteers for events and to reflect the views of the broader community.
>    - to regularly maintain a database for tracking membership within the
>    Ubuntu-AU LoCo and it's committee
>    - to track the receipt and allocation of funds and other materials within
>    the LoCo
>    - to attend and actively contribute to all meetings organised by the
>    chairperson
>    - to serve as a mailing list (or IRC if necessary) moderator
>
> *Ordinary Committee Member*
> *
> *
> Responsibilities
>
>    - to support and actively contribute to the initiatives set by the whole
>    committee
>    - to attend and actively contribute to all meetings organised by the
>    chairperson
>    - to represent the Ubuntu-AU LoCo as a leader and to promote the
>    organisation and the Ubuntu distribution where necessary amongst the public
>    - to represent the views of the wider LoCo community during meetings
>    - to serve as a mailing list moderator
>
> Other
>
>    - There will be around 4 - 6 Ordinary Committee Members (the exact number
>    to be determined)
>    - Preference for 2 of the positions will be given to those who reside in
>    a state outside of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland; as well as a
>    younger member of the LoCo.  If the position can not be filled by a person
>    in that target area, the position will be opened to any interested party
>    along with the rest of the Ordinary Committee Member positions
>
> Election to the Committee:
>
>    - The Chairperson officially calls and operates all elections and votes
>    as per the rules stated in the charter.
>    - Ordinary Committee Members will serve two year terms.  At the end of
>    the two year term of the group of members elected, an election will be held
>    to any member who has explicitly agreed to the Ubuntu Code of Conduct within
>    the Australian LoCo.  Votes can be registered by any member who is not part
>    of the committee or is standing for election.  After that round of voting,
>    the top candidates (according to the no. of positions available) will be
>    elected.  If there are any ties or the Chairperson deems the majority to be
>    not suitable, the committee itself will elect.
>    - Vice President's and Presidents will serve three year terms, to be
>    elected by the Ordinary Committee Members.  Members on the committee may
>    nominate themselves for the positions, and normal LoCo members may have a
>    committee member nominate them.
>    - The election rules for the Chairperson is the same as for the
>    Vice/President, however the Chairperson has an option to extend their term
>    by 2 years without the need for an election.
>    - Any elected committee member may re-nominate themselves for new terms.
>     There is no limit on the number of terms a committee member can serve.
>    - An elected member may resign from their post, or be 'sacked' from their
>    position (if they miss a certain number of meeting w/o permission from the
>    Chairperson or if they act in a manner that is against the CoC).  In that
>    case, the Chairperson in consultation with the committee may decide to
>    either call upon the first runner up of the election from that member, or
>    can call an open election for an 'interim member' position to fill that
>    position until the expiration of that term as per the above guidelines.
>
> Meetings:
>
> There are two types of meetings.  These include community meetings and
> committee meetings.
>
> *Community Meetings*
> *
> *
>
>    - Meetings to be held in the IRC channel once a month to be chaired by
>    the Chairperson
>    - The Chairperson will set the time of the meeting in consultation with
>    the LoCo members and the committee
>    - These meetings are open to any member within the LoCo
>    - Anyone can request for points to be added to the agenda, but the person
>    who requested the item must attend the meeting in order to explain it
>    otherwise that item will be skipped
>    - The meeting will be fully logged and the Chairperson will post the log
>    onto the mailing list and the Team Wiki
>
> *Committee Meetings*
>
>    - Meetings that include all elected committee members.
>    - The Chairperson will arrange the time and venue of the meeting
>    - These meetings should occur somewhere between once a month, to once
>    every three months.
>    - The Chairperson, in consultation with the committee may organise
>    meetings to be held in a physical location to allow members of the committee
>    to be able to meet outside of the internet, however this is not compulsory
>    as organising such meetings can be difficult.
>    - The Chairperson will publish the recorded minutes of committee meetings
>    on the mailing list and the wiki for all LoCo members to read.
>
> This is a basic preamble of the model that I would suggest, and some details
> haven't been worked out.  I encourage anyone reading this to tell me what
> you think and how you would change it.
>
> Regards,
> Matthew Rossi
> m... at pcpodcast.org
> Tel: +1 253 987 6413
> Mob: +61 488 122 990
>
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