An update on the GNSO Election

[KathrynKL at AOL.COM]

All:
I wanted to share an update on the elections at the GNSO Council level.  I am
not a Council member, but as a former Council member and veteran of several
elections, I am helping with strategy and communication.

Below is some background about the current position that is open, and who is
running.  I hope it will start a dialogue on our list.  Should we invite them
to talk on a call with the NCUC -- one in which we express our concerns and
ask whether they can help and support us?

Regards, Kathy

Background:
Michael Palage, an ICANN Board member elected from the GNSO Council, resigned
suddenly a few weeks ago.  The GNSO Council is now in the process of electing
a replacement.

As of the close of the nomination period, 5 candidates were nominated and
properly seconded to run for the position:
Michael Geist - by us!
Marilyn Cade - from Business Constituency
Philip Sheppard - also from Business Constituency
Rita Rodin - a joint nomination by Registry and Registrar Constituencies
At the last minute, Michael Roberts was nominated by the ISP Constituency
Subsequently, Marilyn Cade withdrew her name.

Nominees:
Our nomination of Michael Geist was a superb move.  Geist is a Professor of
Law. University of Ottowa, Canada, with a long history of working on ICANN
projects, writing criticism of ICANN (including its uniform dispute resolution
policy), urging more openness in ICANN's work, and opposing the .COM settlement.
He is also a well-known writer about and expert on Internet law, and publisher
of the BNA's daily Internet Law News with summaries of recent developments (a
free publication!).  As the first nomination before Council, Geist set the
bar very high for other candidates.

Philip Sheppard is the Manager Branding & Marketing Affairs for the European
Brands Association.  An oldtimer in ICANN and the Council, his views in the
Business Constituency are very, very closely affiliated with the Intellectual
Property Constituency.

Rita Rodin is a young partner with Skadden Arps in New York City.  When she
and I worked together on the final UDRP drafting committee, she represented the
Registrar Constituency (though her work on behalf of Register.com).
Subsequently, she went on to organize the registry Affilias on behalf of about a dozen
registrars, and now represents registries and those who would like to be
registries. She represents other areas of new technology, including Skype.  An
intellectual property attorney, she just drafted the Free Software Foundation's
new General Public License.

Michael Roberts was the first President and CEO of ICANN (1998-2001).  He was
a founder of the Internet Society and is now a policy consultant in the field
of Internet technology.  To be candid, I never found Roberts to be candid or
receptive to much of what NCUC tried to do in the early days of ICANN.










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