[ghc-steering-committee] Status

[Richard Eisenberg]

> On May 22, 2019, at 4:51 PM, Simon Peyton Jones via ghc-steering-committee <ghc-steering-committee at haskell.org> wrote:
> 
> It's hard for all of us to make time to review proposals.  Seeking more members would help with that, as well as keeping us open to fresh people and ideas.
> 
> Are you thinking about simply having a bigger committee, or are some of us about to rotate off?

I wonder if we should think about having specific term limits on the committee (excepting, perhaps -- and at their permission -- the Simons). Members could renominate themselves when their term expires. This would serve several functions:

- It's a forcing function to make sure we consider the possibility of new people on a regular basis.
- A fixed term might incentivize individuals to work harder, given that the burden is time-limited. (Though a multi-year term doesn't feel very limited. To support this point, we might want to allow individuals to choose the length of their term, say an integer in the range 1-3, measured in years. There is theoretically a possibility of many people getting "in phase" and making high rollover, but we can just fix that if it happens.)
- Right now, without terms, a member may feel awkward leaving, even if their interests have moved on somewhat. Term limits make a natural point at which to leave the table.
- A member who wants to stay on past their term end (via self-renomination) will have an incentive to be responsive.
- Though I would be thrilled to have Joachim remain Secretary in perpetuity (our BSFL -- Benevolent Secretary For Life), perhaps we should extend this idea to the secretary position, to give Joachim a natural time to renew his commitment and stave off resentment. :)

Open question: if a member in good standing renominates themselves, do we still run an open nomination process? I tend to say "no", but that that opens two more questions: what is "good standing", and what if other members of the community want in? I don't have the answers here.

Richard


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