[svlug] Bickering - solution

[Paul Reiber]

Greetings from Brazil, and Happy Holidays!

I concur w/ Edward that things have GOT to change, if SVLUG is to
survive and thrive.

The idea that it's OK for someone to be a "helper" or "volunteer"
while simultaneously
working AGAINST the efforts of other volunteers is absurd.  I'm
similarly exasperated - even my simplest moves to try to improve
things within SVLUG have been met with criticism from the peanut
gallery.

We tried the "whoever shows up for the governance meeting can define
SVLUG" approach, and with that model, we couldn't even agree on _one
sentence_ as a group, in over 2 hours.

With that in mind, I've decided I need, and therefore I'm creating, an
"advisory council" - input from random members is valuable, but input
from a select set of advisors will be much more valuable.

Here are the details I've worked out so far:

ANY member of SVLUG can apply for a seat on this council.  (Join &)
email the volunteers list with the reasons you'd like to be on this
council, and list your qualifications.

I'll work with a small handful of others to select the council members
in January when I return.
We´ll ensure that each member is indeed on board to assist SVLUG as an
advisor, and then we'll share the list with the rest of SVLUG.

This advisory council will be able to provide feedback and advice
regarding what we do and how.  Regular SVLUG members and current
volunteers will be urged to speak their minds to the members of the
council, rather than having everyone bombard me at once about every
issue.  The council members are free to "specialize" - i.e. one might
be primarily concerned with SVLUG's servers, another with SVLUG's
outreach programs, etc.

After this council is in place, I believe we'll be able to make more
rapid progress with the adoption of such crucial things as a motto,
mission statement, and bylaws.

I expect that this will meet with some criticism and resistance, but
I'm not going to let that dissuade me.  I know _some_ people will be
smart enough to look past the "procedural issues" and simply apply,
and those people will have the opportunity to help define SVLUG's
future.

I´ll only be checking email every week or so while down here, so
please don't expect that any replies to this message will be met with
a timely response.

Best regards, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
-Paul Reiber
President, SVLUG