Absolutely agree that any Governance DECISIONS will always be held in public meetings. The Advisory Committee can certainly discuss anything they want in their meetings including Governance to give us advice. But when it comes to DECISIONS about Governance, and many other decisions about the OpenRefine project itself... those decisions are to be made by the community and the OpenRefine project leadership.
I see it this way:
- Martin (as Project Leader currently of OpenRefine), would have brought up Governance concerns from community members to the Advisory Committee, whom then can advise Martin (representing the community in those meetings).
- Martin would then turn back to the community in a public meeting and discuss the Advisory Committee's suggestions on Governance, Development, Website, and other areas that are the responsibility of the community alone.
- The OpenRefine community and its designated project leaders would then make final decisions on Governance changes, Website changes, etc. and anything related to the OpenRefine project that is not Finance, Hiring, or Legal.
- Additionally, concerning Legal specifically, therein, CS&S is representing the OpenRefine project and community, and we thank them for that help in that area when needed. But as with any attorney/client scenario, OpenRefine community and it's project leaders will be the client who has the final say-so in decisions when offered suggestions by it's attorney, CS&S.
The Advisory Committee is there to take care of legal doings through CS&S's capacity to handle law and finance issues. Anything beyond those 2 areas is where OpenRefine community and it's current project leaders make the decisions.
I think what is happening is that the Advisory Committee might have forgotten the roles slightly.
Or it just might be that @Martin is not typing up these meeting minutes with his real hat on, as the OpenRefine Project Leader, and instead wearing multiple hats... simply through the loose usage of the word "we" at times. I think @Martin should take steps to not do that anymore, and when "we" is typed out, think about which party that is and replace it with "The Advisory Committee informed me that...". In other words, @Martin should step in and out of the Advisory Committee as always wearing the same hat, that of the OpenRefine project leader who is representing our entire community inside those meetings and out.
@Martin do you agree that you could improve on this in the future where you always maintain your OpenRefine Project Leader hat which represents the community and never the Advisory Committee (and use better wording in your communications)?
Do others agree with me and see things the same way in the above areas of responsibility?