I'm starting this thread more as a placeholder then anything else, because there have been three suggestions at least that I have seen for potential amendments to the Charter, all of which IMO deserve serious consideration. I don't expect any kind of action to be taken on any of these things in any particular time frame (or ever, necessarily). But I know how easy it is for good ideas to get lost in the shuffle, and I did not want that to happen.
The first suggestion, made by Ax, was that we explore the possibility of placing limitations on the ability of the membership as a whole to impose edits on the posts of an individual member, against her or his will, and without the need for proving that an enforceable offense justifying a hearing has taken place. I would strongly support such an amendment.
The second suggestion, made by TORN, was that we explore the possibility of placing limits on the numbers of committees members can be on, and otherwise limit the number offices that a member can hold. This one is to my mind a bit trickier. I agree that there is a danger of having the same people constantly joining committees and otherwise influencing the direction of the community. On the other hand, there is a danger of having a vacuum, if other people don't step up instead. My suggestion, then, would be to try to craft a system where people who have not previously served on committees and such would have priority over those who have often served. That way, if no one else is willing to step up, things can still get done, but no one can dominate by repeatedly volunteering before others have a chance to do so.
The third suggestion was made by several people. It is to have a Charter provision or provisions that explicitly prohibit the Rangers and/or Mayor from keeping "secret files" about individual members. I think this is an idea that is worth considering.
Please feel free to comment about any of these suggestions, or to make your suggestions about possible areas in which the Charter may need to be eventually be amended. I would also be perfectly happy if this thread quickly dropped down the page and disappeared out of site for a while, just so that I know where I can find these thoughts when and if the time to address them arrives.