[Ambassadors] emea thoughts

[Paul W. Frields]

On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 01:33:31PM +0100, Max Spevack wrote:
> All of the bitterness around the Fedora EMEA non-profit is really  
> causing me a lot of sadness.

And me as well.

[...snip...]
> I am convinced that as soon as possible, the non-profit should eliminate  
> the idea of "members" all together, and have its official size be  
> exactly the minimum needed to maintain its legal status so that it can  
> continue in its primary mission, which is as a trusted place for Fedora  
> resources to be held.
>
> Similarly, if there are *any* concerns about the transparency of  
> Fedora's spending, I encourage you to *ask me directly*.  I can tell you  
> exactly how much money was spent at each event we have held that came  
> out of the Fedora budget.
>
> Finally, as I said yesterday, anyone who would like their 128 EUR  
> membership fee back simply needs to ask, and we will refund it, no hard  
> feelings.

I think making the Fedora EMEA e.V. membership as small as legally
required is a perfectly reasonable suggestion.  As has been pointed
out elsewhere by other people involved in the group, the decisions on
where resources are expended lie with Fedora anyway -- FAMSCo and,
maybe in the background or only when needed, the Fedora Board.
Membership in the NPO has never been, and will never be, required for
any Ambassador to participate fully in the Fedora Project in any way.

As for the handling of money, everyone should know that Max works as
the treasurer of the Fedora EMEA e.V. group.  I would think that the
level to which he's always conducted business, openly and
transparently, truly speaks for itself.  Any suggestion that money is
not being used in the best interest of the Fedora EMEA group really
means that it's not being used in the best interest of Fedora, and
that would be a completely irresponsible statement.  Max has set a
very high standard for how funds are handled and reported, and it
should inspire confidence in everyone, not mistrust.

Here's a little example.  On Monday, my wife and I went to see our
attorney to set up formal wills and trusts.  When it came time to name
an executor, there were only a few people who came to my mind to do
this.  One of them was Max -- yes, I seriously considered emailing him
this week to ask him abou it.  But fortunately for him, my sister is
also very dependable and lives close by.  Nevertheless, he is exactly
the kind of person I would trust with that sort of business, not to
mention with the handling of Fedora Project money.

> There is a lot of good work to be done promoting Fedora and open source  
> in Europe.  I continue to be proud of the community that we have built  
> here, both in terms of what it achieves, but also because when I see  
> everyone together at events, it really feels like a group of friends.
>
> I hate to see people pulled apart, arguing about something (the  
> non-profit) that is simply meant to be a tool to make all of our lives  
> easier.
>
> So please, let's focus on what is positive, and important.

Absolutely -- the European community has been a beacon for the rest of
the world, and the North American group, for example, has taken many
cues from the fine work done in Europe.  There is still much other
important work to be done and we should be setting our sights forward,
and figuring out how we can best accomplish our goals as part of
Fedora, with healthy respect for each other and for the potential of
the whole Fedora community.

-- 
Paul W. Frields                                http://paul.frields.org/
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  irc.freenode.net: stickster @ #fedora-docs, #fedora-devel, #fredlug
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