User:Borschts/Why I am not running for adminship
 | This page in a nutshell: To prevent conflicts of interest and forced recusals on the Arbitration Committee, I prioritize my current ArbCom duties over taking on the administrator toolset. |
 | This is an essay. It expresses the opinions and ideas of some Wikimedians but may not have wide support. This is not policy on Meta, but it may be a policy or guideline on other Wikimedia projects. Feel free to update this page as needed, or use the discussion page to propose major changes. |
I am frequently asked whether I would accept a nomination for adminship. While I am deeply grateful for the community's trust and ongoing support, I have written this essay to easily explain my standard response: not right now.
On Chinese Wikipedia, administrators are the primary line of defense for resolving edit disputes and addressing policy violations, particularly at the Administrators' Noticeboard (ANI). However, disputes handled at the administrative level are often entirely predictable precursors to Arbitration cases.
The recusal dilemma
[edit]The Arbitration Committee (ArbCom) is designed as the venue of last resort, stepping in only after all other dispute resolution mechanisms have been exhausted. Because Arbitration cases usually involve extensive policy violations or complex systemic issues, the likelihood of an active administrator getting involved in these disputes during their early stages is incredibly high. I have observed this directly with my ArbCom colleagues: intervening when a dispute is still brewing on the noticeboards often forces them to recuse themselves later when the case inevitably reaches the Committee. This need for recusal becomes a very real operational issue. ArbCom currently consists of only a dozen or so members. Because case details are highly complex, we typically require a panel of three arbitrators to review extensive evidence and draft decisions. In this context, the impact of a forced recusal can severely bottleneck our workflow. Given my limited volunteer time, I believe focusing my capacity entirely on ArbCom provides the most value to the community.
The expectation of action
[edit]I am not arguing that one must strictly choose between the two roles. It is certainly possible to hold admin rights while intentionally avoiding areas that might cause conflicts of interest or require future recusal. However, I believe the administrator toolset should be actively exercised rather than just held as a title. These tools come with advanced permissions and an inherent community expectation that admins will actively step in to address urgent behavioral issues. If I hold the tools but refuse to intervene in a sensitive situation simply because I foresee it ending up at ArbCom - especially when no other admins are available to help - then holding those rights is somewhat meaningless to me.
To avoid putting myself in this unnecessary dilemma, I do not intend to accept a nomination for adminship before my term on the Arbitration Committee concludes.