Re: [gentoo-project] rfc: council members and appeals

[Daniel Robbins]

On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 10:46 AM, Rich Freeman <rich0@g.o> wrote:

> On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 12:03 PM, Daniel Robbins <drobbins@××××××.org>
> wrote:
> > On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 9:55 AM, William Hubbs <williamh@g.o>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> The confusing thing about this is, how would we define "conflict of
> >> interest"?
> >>
>
> Well, Google supplies this which seems reasonable:
>
> "a situation in which a person is in a position to derive personal
> benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity"


I think the definition in the world of Gentoo would be expanded to cover
non-financial benefit, since Gentoo is a very egalitarian organization
(unlike a for-profit company) and there is an expectation of impartiality.
Also, in very few circumstances are the trustees or council voting on
issues that even have the potential for financial benefit.

>
> Well, nothing stops anybody from requesting anything, the question is
> whether this is binding.  You can't just leave it up to random
> individuals to decide which specific Council/Trustee Members get to
> vote on which issues, for reasons that I hope are obvious.
>

It wouldn't be binding but could be requested, and the council/trustees
could decide whether the request is legitimate. Again, if there is the
*perception* of a potential conflict of interest, that can be enough for
someone to abstain from voting because it strengthens the legitimacy of the
vote.

Of course, the trustees/council could choose to disregard silly/garbage
requests. If they are a huuuuuge stretch, then declining them should not
undermine the integrity of the vote in any way (because they would be
pretty obviously based on paranoia or lack of true potential for conflict
of interest by anyone who seriously looked at them.)

But I think it's helpful if any member can voice concern about a potential
conflict of interest. If people have concerns about a lack of integrity in
the process, it is best for them to be able to be voiced and addressed. I
think we all want the votes of trustees and council to have weight and for
everyone to have confidence in the voting process. This is a win-win for
members and trustees/council. And as trust is built up over time, it just
puts the council and trustees in a better position to move the project
forward in a positive way and for everyone to feel good about the system we
have here.

-Daniel