Fowlie's Follies: The Latest Adventures of Frank Fowlie, ICANN Ombudsman & Civility Policeman

[Andrew A. Adams]

> Hi,
> 
> It is up to the Board to renew his contract or not.  They did last year even though they knew better.
> 
> But the problem is that he is supposed to be this independent review mechanism, so it is difficult to just remove him.  I have not seen the contract so I don't know under what basis he can be removed.
> 
> The bylaws, should have a term limit to get by this, especially since most of the literature I have seen on ombudsmen seems to indicate a few year fixed term is better than an open ended term of forever - you can't remain objective that long.

The parliamentary ombudsman role in the UK showed up the folly of a post 
which is renewed (or not) by those whom regulates. The idea was that someone 
could be renewed once in the post. The first so-appointed was renewed for a 
second term, IIRC, but the second one, who had been much more critical of 
ministers in particular, did not have their position renewed, amid 
allegations that they were being replaced for being too harsh. Fixed terms of 
office, no renewals, and clear external triggers for removal, such as 
criminal charges, adjudicated themselves by some external independent body, 
is the correct format for such roles, IMAO.



-- 
Professor Andrew A Adams       aaa at meiji.ac.jp
Professor at Graduate School of Business Administration, and
Deputy Director of the Centre for Business Information Ethics
Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan