Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2008/Candidate statements/Roger Davies

Roger Davies

 * Update (5 December 2008) - links to discussion of key issues: Secret evidence &bull; Biographies of living people &bull; POV-warring &bull; Incivility &bull; Undoing admin actions &bull; Former arbitrators on the mailing list &bull; Arbitrator recall &bull; Vacating arbitrations &bull; Reforming checkuser/oversight rights &bull; Speeding up decisions &bull; Tendentious editing and civil POV pushers.

With ArbCom perhaps at its lowest ebb, and attracting high levels of dissatisfaction, this incoming tranche of arbitrators will not only have to handle cases but also face reforming the way the committee works. Perhaps the most urgent priority is tackling perceptions of growing irrelevance, lack of transparency through excessive use of private space, and delay. I believe I am well-equipped for the job as I have considerable parallel experience.

Introducing me ... in a nutshell: active editor since April 2007; a Milhist coordinator since August 2007; administrator since February 2008; Milhist lead coordinator since March 2008; significant contributor to five featured articles; copy-editor for six more; dispute resolver; and intermittent wiki-gnome. See my user page for more wiki-biography stuff, article lists, languages and so on.

Otherwise, I'm calm and analytical, with no axes to grind. I try to combine civility with brevity and good humour. (Strangely, I also enjoy drafting text for simplicity and clarity, and have done a far amount of this with Milhist guidelines.) I rarely get irritated and never show it. I am used to negotiating consensus in difficult and/or innovative areas. So although I have had much to do with Wikipedian organisation in general, I have had little to do with ArbCom and thus come to this with a fresh mind.

If elected, I am likely to
 * spend the first month or so easing myself into arbitration, while I learn the ropes thoroughly and familiarise myself with what has gone before;
 * use my position on the Arbitration Committee to work for greater transparency, a minimum of secrecy, and faster decision-making;
 * prioritise winning back the support of the community;
 * seek consensus (probably through open workshops) for developing fast-track and summary procedures.


 * Questions for the candidate
 * Discuss the candidate
 * Discuss the candidate