Talk:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Candidates/Mike Peel

Support from User:Kudpung

'I want to see WMF collaborate more onwiki in the 'wiki way', with better technical support and tools to support multilingual free knowledge across all Wikimedia projects.' I am impressed by any candidate who genuinely recognises the importance of providing the unpaid community volunteers with the tools and technical support they need. Growth in such support, despite the current surplus of funds, has not been concomitant with increases in size and coverage of tye Wikipedia encyclopedias, especially en.Wiki, the Foundation's flagship project.

Mike Peel, whom I met for the first time in 2012, is a highly qualified scientist who has been with Wikipedia for a long time but has not lost sight of its grassroots and the importance of the tens of thousands of unpaid volunteers who have made everything possible.

The Board considers its role as not supporting the volunteers with technical progress, but as one that mainly guides the Foundation on high level strategic decision making, and not with day-to-day operations or specific workflows. They say that matters such as for example, the indispensable New Page Review software, a WMF development that is designed to maintain the quality and accuracy of the Foundations flagship encyclopedia, are only of specific interest to the English Wikipedia, are not within the Board's remit.

I am sure that Mike can help bridge the divide between the Foundation and the encyclopedia projects. Helping the Board to refocus some of its work into encouraging the WMF to be more amenable to developing the tools the volunteers really need without them being told that they should fend for themselves, is something that Mike will almost certainly make one of his priorities. The volunteers who maintain the quality and reliability of the encyclopedia corpora will then find a new energy. Kudpung (talk) 07:25, 17 July 2022 (UTC)

I have made my vote. Mike was one of only two candidates I voted for. Kudpung (talk) 06:16, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

Endorsement from Joalpe

I strongly support Mike's candidacy for the Board of Trustees for at least four reasons.

Firstly, Mike is an expert in our technical infrastructure. This is one of the main skills the movement is looking for to bring to the board. His knowledge combines an understanding of our opportunities at the highest level of innovation and a deep, first-hand understanding of technological practices in emerging communities.

Secondly, Mike comes from the editorial community (enwiki, Wikidata, Commons), from where he has been a devoted contributor for many years, and will be in a good position to act as a bridge between the WMF and the volunteers. Moreover, as we move forward with the movement-wide strategy process, his presence in the BoT is a guarantee that the wiki way (i.e., participatory governance and consultation-driven implementation, documented accountability, respect to the volunteer community and our technological infrastructure) is always taken into consideration.

Thirdly, Mike can contribute to improving participatory financial procedures at the WMF. He has experienced the FDC –in which the foundation budget went through community scrutiny– and is now in a regional committee for grant assessment.

Lastly, Mike has been involved in our movement in different contexts, particularly in consolidating our movement affiliates in the UK and in Brazil. He has a deep understanding of the different needs, opportunities and perspectives across our diverse communities. --Joalpe (talk) 13:55, 19 July 2022 (UTC)