Victoria, what you just said should've been stated from the beginning when these candidates were removed. A big part of my reform is that there are broader issues at play here that large portions of the community have been frustrated with for years and I think it's time that things change.
On Thu, Oct 9, 2025, 5:19 a.m. Victoria Doronina <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Hannah, > > I'm writing this as a Wikimedian, relying solely on publicly available > information. I'm sorry, but I will not reply to any questions, as the last > time I tried, it didn't end well. > > It may sound counterintuitive, but WMF is sometimes too nice and careful > about the reputation of wikimedians and this leaves room for speculation. > In this case, the WMF left a lot of room for candidates who didn't pass > the preliminary stages of the vetting process to withdraw with grace, but > it didn't work, and now we have multiple petitions for the reinstatement of > these candidates. > > Concerning Ravan, future candidates should be more cautious about what > they post on social media, as some posts pose significant risks to the > WMF's reputation, primarily because the press is particularly vigilant > about the WMF board candidates at the moment. I'm supporting women (you may > have noticed that I'm a woman too) and LGBTQIA+, but in this instance, I > cannot support her candidacy, because the risks for the public reputation > of WMF outweigh the risks to gender equity. > > As for Lane, he > > * publicly stated in his candidate video (1' in) that WMF is going to > replace some of the text in Wikipedia with the text written by AI - *this > is not true*, as anyone who has read the WMF AI strategy would know. > Wikimedia Foundation elections/2025/Candidates/Lane Rasberry - Meta-Wiki > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2025/Candidates/Lane_Rasberry> > > * Publicly written in the candidate statement: > > *I set up a Right to Information > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Information> project on Meta-Wiki > because years ago, I wanted information, and I could not find a way to > communicate to the Foundation. As trustee, I encourage the user community > to organize to make public information requests to me.* > > To me, it looks like he's going to disclose the non-public information, > especially as he emphasises that he's an editor of the Signpost and his > duty as a journalist will come before his duties as a trustee. He also > writes: > > *I want access to Wikimedia Foundation financial records so that I can > analyze them at my university, or otherwise, the WMF can just be direct in > saying it does not want to share this info. Right now the WMF's financial > reports are incomprehensible to the user community. We need transparency in > those reports so that Wikimedians in each country can know what money the > Foundation spends on their behalf, and what the development strategy for > that country is.* > > It sounds like he's going to disclose non-public financial information. > > All people who know Lane well state that he's an honest person who does as > he says. As a Wikimedian, I cannot support a candidacy for a person who > makes grossly unsupported statements. As a trustee, I cannot support anyone > who wishes to disclose non-public information, which is in direct > contravention of the trustee's duties and responsibilities. > > As you can see, my objections to the Lane candidacy have nothing to do > with him being a minority or any other potential issue that he mentions in > his communications; it's much more mundane. > > > > > > On Thu, Oct 9, 2025 at 6:52 AM L C <[email protected]> wrote: > >> It would make sense to add the link to the index of >> petitions/complaints at >> >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Objections_to_the_2025_WMF_Board_election_removals >> so they are all centralized. >> >> Selected quotes from other letters boycotting the election in protest. >> >> "The Wikimedia Foundation has long emphasized its commitment to good >> governance and transparency, as well as to gender equity. Yet, by >> excluding Ravan—the only female candidate in this election—without any >> clear explanation and amid strong indications of political bias, the >> Foundation has violated all of these principles." >> >> "We write to you with deep concern and strong objection to the recent >> decision to withdraw candidate Ravan Jaafar al-Taie from the ongoing >> election process for a seat on the Board of Trustees. This measure, >> taken without transparency or public justification, undermines the >> legitimacy of the process and contradicts the values of inclusion, >> equity, and diversity that the Wikimedia movement has promoted since >> its inception and that Strategy 2030 ratifies as guiding principles. >> The action is unfair, arbitrary, and sets a dangerous precedent for >> democracy and the efforts of female Wikipedians who actively fight for >> inclusion. Ravan is not only a valid candidate, but also the only >> woman in this electoral process." >> >> "There have been two candidates rejected without a credible >> explanation. Rejecting either candidate based on “lack of experience”, >> political attacks or dubious conflict of interest have been based on >> falsehoods or just incomprehensible. Ravan was the only woman >> candidate left in the running and Lane was the only openly queer >> candidate remaining in the election. This has been the opposite of the >> previously publicly stated values of the WMF commitment to >> representing minority voices and diversity. The Board and Election >> Committee stated on Meta that they were aiming for 6 candidates to >> vote on, but there are just 4 now remaining, all men, and are less >> representative of the volunteer community." >> >> At a minimum, this wide level of objection from different and >> significant parts of the community should result in an immediate >> independent investigation or a suspension of the election. >> >> On Thu, 9 Oct 2025 at 04:47, Hannah Clover >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> > >> > Hi, I have written a heartfelt letter for reform at >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2025_WMF_Board_reform_petition. I >> encourage everyone across the movement to read, translate, and share this >> message as it is not just an enwiki issue but something that affects us all. >> > >> > Sincerely, >> > Hannah Clover >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], >> guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >> and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> > Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/Q2I6XYSINHJ2CVVXSPWID4LC7O52ZLCE/ >> > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/K4SPN43MOZLWC73ANTMYYKZRBREDTO7Z/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/VQFNNPWJ2GD5NKD5QH7Y6MSIXG4WNS2S/ > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
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