And here is the text of what we've been able to approve so far, for your review before I put it into the charter:
Article 2: ¶8 When is an Administrator Removed from Office
• An Admin cannot be removed from office without due process.
• Except for those special cases listed, no single violation or act of negligence will be sufficient to remove an admin from office. If a hearing is convened, a pattern of repeated violations or negligence damaging to the board must be shown, and an admin must have received warnings and Formal Complaints.
• When an admin resigns or is removed from office, a new admin is selected to complete the term of office. [approved April 18, 2005]
Grounds for Warnings to an Administrator
• Being absent from the board for more than 72 hours without notifying the other admins, except in personal emergency or computer failure.
• Failing to repond in timely fashion to business-related emails and PM's from members and other admins
• Posting hidden at times when the admin is needed to be visible.
• Special treatment of posters or arbitrary enforcement of the by-laws.
• Conduct Unbecoming an Administrator, such as discourtesy or intimidation, or attempting to influence poster behavior on other messageboards. [approved April 18, 2005]
Procedures for Warnings to an Administrator
• The action or omission must be brought to the attention of the current
admins.
• Two admins must agree that a warning is justified.
• These two admins will notify the admin under complaint and give that person a chance to explain themselves. If the explanation is satisfactory, nothing more need be done.
• If two current admins still believe a warning is justified, they will write briefly the reason and forward this to the Mayor by email.
• If the current admins are in disagreement as to whether action is required, no warning will be filed.
• Warnings are kept on the record by [not yet determined]
• Warnings are purged after the admin leaves office. [approved April 18, 2005]
Grounds for Formal Complaints Against an Administrator
• Three warnings for the same action or omission.
• Being absent from the board for more than two weeks and failing to notify the other admins in advance to arrange for a temporary admin.
• Deliberate unilateral actions for which the by-laws require a majority of admins to agree, or any other deliberate and direct violation of the by laws.
• Failing to convene and oversee an arbitration when required, or refusing to convene a hearing on a ban when this is necessary. [approved April 18, 2005]
• Procedure for Formal Complaints Against an Administrator [not yet determined]
• Time Lmit for Formal Complaints Against an Administrator [not yet determined]
• Penalty for Formal Complaints Against an Administrator: During the time that Formal Complaints are on record, the member may not serve as temp admin or begin a new term of office as full admin. [approved April 18, 2005]
Grounds for Removal of an Administrator
• Desertion: An administrator who deserts the board and cannot be contacted for a period of 30 days should be removed from office.
• Incoming admins must agree to resign if they will be away from the board for a period longer than than four full weeks, because it is not possible to replace them with a temporary admin. Such a resignation will not affect their eligibility to serve as a full admin in the future or as a temp admin at any time, but their name will return to the bottom of the roster of full admins as if they had served their term. If an admin faces this circumstance and does not resign, then this is considered Grounds for Removal.
• Pattern of Absences, Failure to Respond and Other Warnings: If a series of warnings or violations results in three Formal Complaints, the other admins may consider whether to convene a hearing to remove that admin. If five Formal Complaints have been filed, a hearing is required.
• Extreme Abuse of Power: a hearing may be convened if an admin deliberately and maliciously bans a member who is entitled to a hearing or suspends posting rights without due process, except in the course of exercising extraordinary powers.
• An Immediate Hearing is required if:
••An admin reveals private information obtained as a result of their office, such as profile information that members have made hidden or the contents of secret ballots cast by PM or email
•• or Gives another poster access to the admin panel
•• or Uses the board to boast about criminal behaviors and/or encourage other posters to engage in them [approved April 18, 2005]
Procedure for Removal of an Administrator
• Two admins must agree that the charges against an admin are sufficiently serious and not manufactured, and that a hearing is justified. The admin who is considered for removal will be notified by PM and by email, and the call for a hearing will be posted in the Jury Room.
• The posting rights of the admin in question will be restricted to the Jury Room and Admin powers will be revoked for the duration of the hearing. [approved April 18, 2005][/color] [The convention has yet to consider what form this hearing will take.]
Penalties Associated with Removal of an Administrator
• An administrator can be removed from office and barred from holding office in the future for a length of time commensurate with the offense.
•• Pattern of Absences, Failure to Respond and Other Warnings: One year
•• Desertion: One year
•• Breach of Privacy: One year
•• Giving another person access to the Administrator Panel: One year
•• Encouraging criminal behavior: One year
[approved April 18, 2005]
_________________
"All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
Epigraph on the tombstone of W.C. Fields.