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<p class=MsoNormal>Hi Chuck,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>This is not a policy
development issue, but instead is administrative. I have twice been elected
to represent the BC in Council administrative matters. Specifically per
our Charter section 4.1</span><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>, “[t]</span></span><span
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'>he representatives will act
in the GNSO Council as representatives of and spokespersons for the
Constituency and will collaborate with other members of the Council in pursuit
of the mission of the Constituency.”</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I
am only trying to discontinue an unwarranted privilege by which unrepresentative
persons increasingly usurp the role of representative Councilors and Liaisons, and
which unduly takes time from the entire Council and Staff.</span></span><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Do you have any reasoned argument against this?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Mike<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Mike Rodenbaugh<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>RODENBAUGH LAW<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>548 Market Street<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>San Francisco, CA 94104<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a
href="http://service.ringcentral.com/ringme/callback.asp?mbid=57178438,0,&referer=http://rodenbaugh.com/contact"><span
style='color:#1F497D'>(415) 738-8087</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:13.5pt'><span
style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://rodenbaugh.com/"><span style='color:#1F497D'>http://rodenbaugh.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:13.5pt'><span
style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Gomes, Chuck
[mailto:cgomes@verisign.com] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Saturday, October 24, 2009 2:15 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> icann@rodenbaugh.com; GNSO Council<br>
<b>Subject:</b> RE: [council] End of the Shadow Council<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:blue'>Mike,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:blue'>Is this a CBUC request?</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:blue'>Chuck</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;
margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> owner-council@gnso.icann.org
[mailto:owner-council@gnso.icann.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Mike Rodenbaugh<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Saturday, October 24, 2009 4:42 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> GNSO Council<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [council] End of the Shadow Council</span><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Dear Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>I write again regarding the so-called
“Observers” at face-to-face GNSO Council meetings. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Of course, I fully support that our face-to-face meetings
are generally always open to true observers, both those present and located
remotely. And I fully support that all of our meetings are generally
fully recorded and transcribed. Indeed I think they should be translated,
and that our conference calls be opened in real time to the public, with
non-speaking access. I fully support that our email list is open and
archived. All of this allows the public to see how the Council operates
in practically real-time, and to experience the information and debate
first-hand. Council must have flexibility to close its sessions and/or
communicate privately, when it deems necessary for any stated and agreed
reason. But I believe that has never happened to date, and of course the
default must be open meetings and open communications.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>However, the growing trend is for GNSO
“Observers” to participate in the Council’s weekend
face-to-face meetings on equal footing with Councilors, Liasons and
Staff. A small and growing group of privileged observers, none of whom
are elected or appointed to represent anyone but themselves and/or their
specific organizations, are increasingly taking an inordinate amount of Council
and Staff time. In effect, they are a “Shadow Council” that
follows the Council from meeting to meeting, taking advantage of a privilege
they ought not have. This must stop, effective immediately. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>It is not scalable as the community of interested observers
grows and diversifies. It is not fair in any way: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in'><span
style='font-family:Wingdings'>n</span><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span>Not fair to Councilors and Liasons who
offer great personal sacrifice to travel long distances away from their lives,
volunteering an overly full weekend in advance of a lengthy five-day
meeting. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in'><span
style='font-family:Wingdings'>n</span><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span>Not fair to the constituents who
elected or appointed the Councilors and Liasons, expecting that they (and only
they) would serve as those constituents’ representatives on
Council. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in'><span
style='font-family:Wingdings'>n</span><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span>Not fair to the general public whose
only opportunities for input to Council are via the Constituencies, Working
Groups or public comment periods. Particularly not fair to the general
public that does not speak English, or who cannot attend the sessions, as they
have no equal ability to participate vis a vis the “Shadow
Council”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.25in'><span
style='font-family:Wingdings'>n</span><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span>Not fair to the Staff nor the Council
as a whole, whose only opportunity to communicate face-to-face is during these
meetings.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The GNSO Council is a representative body. The
representative Councilors and designated Liaisons must be allowed to do their
jobs, which absolutely requires face-to-face interaction with Staff and with
each other -- without constant ‘clarifying questions’,
‘points of order’, comments or questions from the public.
To my knowledge, no other SO, nor the GAC nor the Board – nor
any other council, committee or board anywhere in the world -- ever allow such
privilege to observers. Such points should be raised through Council
representatives, or during any or all of the many opportunities for public
comment into the Council processes. Indeed this is the reason-for-being
of the Constituencies themselves, of Working Groups, of public comment periods
in general, and of the public comment periods allowed at the Council’s
face-to-face meetings (which can also be used in our weekend sessions, if time
allows).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Therefore, beginning with the newTLD session today, I
request that observers be disallowed equal access to the Council table and
microphones, just as they are disallowed such access at our larger public
meetings and in our conference calls. The material presented by Staff in
the session today will doubtless be repeated during a public session later in
the week, which is a perfect opportunity for anyone to ask their questions or
make their points directly to the Staff, without wasting tremendously valuable
and scarce face-to-face Council/Staff time. As we have seen, too many
people are abusing the privilege of open access to raise points that they then
raise again and again at every opportunity throughout the ICANN meeting, and/or
to communicate their particular, non-representative interests. They are
abusing a privilege that they should not have in the first place, because it is
not fair.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Does anyone have an argument as to why the current privilege
should be allowed to continue? Is anyone aware of any other council,
board or committee, anywhere in the world, that allows such a privilege to
observers?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Otherwise, I hope the privilege will be discontinued
immediately, and request Avri to confirm via reply to this list. If not,
my next effort to stop this will be an Ombudsman complaint, on behalf of the entire
community, so that this practice is investigated by a neutral party and
discussed formally at the Council and/or Board level(s). I also request
that the relevant OSC team discuss this and recommend appropriate provisions in
our Council Rules of Procedure to ensure that nobody is given undue and
disruptive access to Council, Liaisons and Staff during our meetings. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Each and every member of the community – other than
the “Shadow Councilors” and their specific organizations -- suffer
from the continuation of this unwarranted and unseemly privilege that offered
to just a few, at the expense of the many.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Mike<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>Mike Rodenbaugh<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>RODENBAUGH LAW<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>548 Market Street<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>San Francisco, CA 94104<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a
href="http://service.ringcentral.com/ringme/callback.asp?mbid=57178438,0,&referer=http://rodenbaugh.com/contact">(415)
738-8087</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:13.5pt'><a
href="http://rodenbaugh.com/">http://rodenbaugh.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
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