TSC Chair election process

Owned by Joseph Pearson
Last updated: Aug 29, 2022
3 min read

All, at the recent TSC meeting last Monday, August 15, we discussed ideas for potential changes to the project Technical Charter (PDF) related to the nomination and election of the TSC Chair.  I wanted to send out this email to begin discussions on the pros and cons for the changes that have already been proposed, and to see if there are any other changes anyone would like to discuss related to the TSC Chair election process.

To keep things clear and simple, I'd like to request that you send one email per change, and that you title your email "TSC Chair election process: existing proposal" if you are talking about an aspect of a change that has already been proposed, or "TSC Chair election process: new proposal" if you'd like to discuss a new idea.

The guidelines for the role of TSC Chair are provided in section 2f of the Technical Charter:

f. The TSC may elect a TSC Chair, who will preside over meetings of the TSC and will serve until their resignation or replacement by the TSC. The TSC Chair, or any other TSC member so designated by the TSC, will serve as the primary communication contact between the Project and The Linux Foundation.

My hope is that we can discuss ideas for possible changes, see if there is a general agreement using the lazy consensus method (no response means approval), and to then subsequently vote on any changes.  The Technical Charter requires 2/3 TSC vote to approve any amendments.  Here are the proposals that were brought up in the meeting:

  1. Term: The TSC Chair position should (must) be open for nominations once every calendar year (four weeks prior to the term anniversary) or upon Chair resignation or replacement by the TSC.

  2. Qualifications: To demonstrate investment in, and deep knowledge of, the project, all nominated candidates for TSC Chair must be active (or past) project Committers (Maintainers) or current members of the TSC.

  3. Qualifications: The only qualification for nominated candidates for TSC Chair is that they be interested in performing the duties to the best of their ability.

  4. Nominations: Candidates for the position may self-nominate.  If Nominations are proposed by a third party, it should be approved by the Nominee in advance.  Nominations should include a short paragraph describing why they are seeking the position, a short paragraph giving their background, and a head shot to be used for promotional purposes.

  5. Process: An announcement should be posted to the (`open-horizon`) project mailing list at least four weeks before an intended vote giving the nomination deadline and voting period.  All other voting aspects will proceed according to the Charter.  This will give any prospective candidates that long to submit their nominations through that mailing list.  If there is only one qualified candidate, a vote will not be held and that candidate will be automatically elected.

Note: Point two above is also the current qualification to be elected a Working Group (WG) Chair.  Since all WG Chairs are members of the TSC, it is reasonable to expect the TSC Chair to have a similar investment in the project.

Note: Points two and three are mutually exclusive.  

@Joseph Pearson will post this information to the project wiki sandbox and keep it continually updated based on mailing list feedback.

@David Boozsaid in part in an email:

> Regarding point 2 xor 3 from your email. I have a slight preference for option 2, that the TSC Chair is a committer. Honestly, I waffled back and forth on this in my mind. I landed on option 2 simply because OH is still maturing and needs a TSC Chair that has already demonstrated deep commitment to the project. Upon reaching a more fully mature phase of growth, I think it would be appropriate to lower the bar. The project isn't there yet.

Bruce Potter:

> For qualifications, i think #2 is appropriate, except relax it a little by allowing past committers/maintainers. I.e. they don't have to be currently active committers/maintainers.