1. This year, I am requiring all successful candidates to identify to the WMF or to me personally (but preferably to the WMF) before being seated. This point has been strongly supported by ArbCom and the community. The ArbCom has interpreted this requirement to mean "that people do not gain access to mailing lists nor Checkuser/Oversight until they have identified." I am interpreting it a bit more broadly - you aren't an ArbCom member until you identify.
2. All candidates should contact me at my usual email address (jwales) at the Foundation (wikimedia.org) to give their preferred email address. I will be passing these to Risker, who will be doing the actual additions.
3. I am not appointing anyone who gets less than 50% support. Fortunately, the lowest candidate needed to fill all available seats got 59.9% support, so we are not faced with any issue there.
4. I have asked privately of the ArbCom for any objections - to be expressed either to the ArbCom as a whole, or to me privately if necessary - to any of the top candidates. I have received none. I have also received no particular valid objections to any of the candidates from anyone.
5. Kirill Lokshin, Fritzpoll, Coren, Mailer diablo and Steve Smith are hereby appointed to two year terms expiring 31 December 2011.
6. SirFozzie, Hersfold, KnightLago and Shell Kinney are hereby appointed to one year terms expiring 31 December 2010.
7. In the event of retirements or vacancies for any two year seat (including the seats held by existing ArbCom members), I reserve the right to move any of the 4 one year appointees into a two year seat. Since there was some interest from some members of the community in me appointing all 9 to two year seats, I don't think this will be controversial. As usual, I am not likely to make interim appointments unless there is a strong desire by existing ArbCom members that we replenish in some fashion by having a fresh election, something I don't foresee happening.
Finally, I would like to ask all incoming ArbCom members to review the history of the ArbCom, and in particular to familiarize yourself with some of the worst "political problems" that ArbCom has faced, in the hopes of gaining some wisdom to avoid such issues in the coming year.
Your job is hard. No matter how well you perform your duties, some will say you have been too lenient. Some will say you have been too strict. And some will say that you've been inconsistent or arbitrary. Likewise, some will criticize you for moving too quickly, and others will criticize you for moving too slowly.
Strive to be none of those things, neither too lenient nor too strict, neither too quick nor too slow. And never inconsistent or arbitary. But know that you will face those claims anyway. Face those claims with friendliness and dignity, and all will be fine in the end.--Jimbo Wales (talk) 05:59, 24 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]
