Questions for candidates

[Raymond]

I know everyone has questions they want to ask the candidates… Let’s not turn this into a free-for-all or a debate. Ask a question and hopefully they will answer.

@Photomancer, @AlexRhodes, @Kriskat30, @lukeiamyourfather, @themitch22, @Robert_Davidson, @wandrson, @Diplomat, and @Tapper

There… I think that’s all of the candidates.

I have 2 questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the freebie shelf and are you for or against it?
2. How do you see the board moving above the day-to-day operations and more into strategy for the future?

Again, this isn’t for a debate or for hammering at candidates. Let’s see if we can keep it civil and learn more about what their positions are.

@LisaSelk: Can we get a sticky on this AND heavy handed moderation to keep it on target? Thanks!

[PearceDunlap]

You can make this post a “wiki” post so people can edit your original and add to the list of questions themselves

Wiki Feature Test

So I noticed under the after making a post there is a icon which allows you to turn your post into a WIKI post. Popped over to the Discourse Forum and found that this allows your post to be edited by all logged in users. So I want to test this. I have a list at the bottom of this post, Please add your name to the list if you can edit my post. To edit the post you click the “this post is a Wiki” icon on the top right corner of the post. List of names: Nick Nick Edit 1 Walter Mat (gr…

we should be using the wiki post for this kind of question list sourced from the community

[mblatz]

Also a reminder that there is a “Meet Candidates for the 2017 Board of Directors Election” on the agenda for Member Meeting this week: https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Regular_Member_Meeting_20170413

[Cairenn_Day]

I have a first question,

I have examples of 2 types of leadership

1. is to enable members by posting say (making up a fake nonsense library committee here)
   1. we have a recent donation of books, they need to be listed and cataloged
   2. since we how have several books on the history of underwater basketry
      weaving. the art sections needs to be rearranged
   3. the new books need to be shelved
   4. please help to keep books in the correct location, if you see one out of place,
      please but it where it goes
   5. we are running out of room, suggestions to solve this

Now this requires work from multiple members and I might not get done in a timely manner

The other one is 'bull by the horns

1. I sorted thru the donation and I catalogued them and discarded all the useless ones
2. I am ordering materials for new shelves, but books will need to be less than 11 in tall
3. if you don t put books back you wil be banned from the library

Now that method get the work done in a timely manner and with a unity of thought and planning

Which one would you consider to be a better method of leadership?

[Robert_Davidson]

What are your thoughts on the freebie shelf and are you for or against it?

I feel like I understand both sides of the issue first is logistics concern that they are managing a battle that can’t be won because the truth of the matter is that a majority of the people that are in favor of the freebie shelf have never and will never actually clean it off. The other group is the scrounger group they would like to reuse and recycle someone else’s stuff which also has merit. Personally I would have focused on the issue which appears to be labor and ask for volunteers to manage it similar to the fridge that was growing mold in it because of people not taking there stuff home.

How do you see the board moving above the day-to-day operations and more into strategy for the future?

While it’s a great in theory to see the BoD move to strategy they better be doing both! The truth is the BoD is ultimately responsible for any and all work that is not taken by a volunteer that could be taxes to cleaning a clogged toilet. There are many of us I know on the BoD that meet groups that can only come out on the day. I used to take off all the time for contractors. Thank You @dallasmagna and @Tapper for assisting in contractors this last year! I personally handle a lot of DMS third party relationships so anytime the landlord to the neighbors get upset I am the one that usually handles that aspect. I don’t expect that to change in the future without a paid executive director.

[Robert_Davidson]

Is neither an option?
I would not want DMS to become a library there are plenty of other groups that store books if that is what you are interested in, DMS is a makerspace have your committee focus on making. Ultimately I would do everything in my power so that we would not become a storage location for books on History of Underwater Basketry Weaving.

[AlexRhodes]

1.) I personally am indifferent if that’s what your asking. If you asking my thoughts on how it was handled, that’s a different story and think it could have gone better. It is no secret that the freebie shelf had issues. What to do with paint, chemicals, tires and other issues. I personally don’t like all the e-waste that ends up in the dumpster. I personally don’t want that responsibility but if the shelf is to come back from this new formed committee I will want to know who will be in charge of proper disposal. People need to understand that other members here volunteer their time and its not up to you to tell them how to do that. If people will actually step up is the issue.

2.) The fact that we still don’t have a second quote for the toilet in the front mens bathroom…I don’t see the board getting away from day to day stuff. I have called off work to meet with contractors, plumbers, roofers, fire marshal, landlord, insurance auditor, etc… Others have made themselves available and I appreciate that but ultimately if something needs to get done, its on the board to do it. I don’t see us getting away from that till we get an employee.

[Cairenn_Day]

I made up a committee we don t have in order to not step
on toes. Sorry if that was not clear, I couldn t come up with something
fantastical I thought about some Star Trek reference but if failed me

[Cairenn_Day]

Alex you bring up something I want to ask about

How many of those things require a board member?
I would think the fire Marshall, insurance agent and
landlord would need an official rep of the DMS

Could we have a maintenance committee, that could
handle getting the quotes for the board, . We are large
enough now that we should be able to at least change
y alls workload

[LisaSelk]

Here are the ten questions that I have been waiting to post for the candidates running for the Board this year:

• What makes you stand out above and beyond the other candidates?

• Regarding our Class/Event and Honorarium approval processes, do you feel we are currently balancing our Mission Statement (https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Mission_Statement) with what membership and the outlying community are interested in learning? If not, do you feel that our processes are currently too restrictive or not restrictive enough?

• As a Board Member - between the following two items - Would your focus be on saving money for a future move and/or unexpected expenses, or would it be focused on purchasing newer/bigger/better tools in the near future?

• Management of Dallas Makerspace is always a “hot topic”. In your idea of a perfect solution, how would the “power” distribution of our community be handled ("Who has ‘final say’ on what items, etc…). The “players” in the solution include: “The Board”, “Committee Chairs” (or committees as a whole…), “The Membership” (via member votes, etc…), and possibly an “On Site Manager”. NOTE: If your plans include an “On Site Manager”, please elaborate with additional details such as expected duties, hours on site, etc…

• If you had to choose one of the following, do you feel that we should focus on “being the biggest and best” or “inter-committee projects and hackathons”?

• In your opinion, which types of agenda items should be included on Regular Member Meetings, and which should be included on Board of Directors Meetings?

• We are nearing 1500 members. What do you think the optimum number of members should be for our community?

• What will You do personally to encourage and ensure better new member experiences?

• What is one of your major pet peeves about Dallas Makerspace?

• Finally: Paint Booth or Not? Why or Why Not? If so, then where would you suggest it be located? Do you plan on sacrificing existing committee space(s)? What about the government regulations? And, since our lease does not allow storage of paint, how would that be handled?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer as many of the above questions that you feel comfortable answering for us! :dms:

[AlexRhodes]

First our little magazine rack in the commons room is about the extent of a library at the space I would like to see.

To answer your leadership question, its a loaded question. There are flaws to both of them.
The first one can leave things languishing and unfinished for an undetermined amount of time. This does not benefit the space as it can hamper other issues. I was a big proponent of the white shelves in front of electronics. I went and picked them up, but its almost 3 years now and the project still isn’t done. They are now filled with old books and junk and not a proper use of the space.

The flaw with the second system is that there is not a second person involved, but not every task needs to be driven by multiple people. I have been a part of the projects where someone just steamrolls it and you just stand there with no real sense of purpose. That isn’t good leadership, but if the goal is to get something done, it can work. The issue is when it effects others. Communication is the key.

[AlexRhodes]

You are right that a board member should be involved with some of those meetings but the contractors, plumbers and anything really to do with estimates should be able to be done by anyone.

Our “Maintenance” committee is infrastructure and I don’t think throwing more committees into the mix is the issue. It all comes back to communication and trust.

[Robert_Davidson]

What makes you stand out above and beyond the other candidates?

I have a long history with DMS and I tend to work on large scale projects for DMS that’s what I do, I am usually the first one to come up with a grand plan and accomplish the goal and I do hope most of my projects stand the test of time. I can tell you that there are blockers along the way and I have just learned you can’t please everyone but as a majority of the people that volunteer know I go out of my way to protect you from the BS

Regarding our Class/Event and Honorarium approval processes, do you feel we are currently balancing our Mission Statement (https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Mission_Statement) with what membership and the outlying community are interested in learning? If not, do you feel that our processes are currently too restrictive or not restrictive enough?

I feel like we are in a pretty good place we do hundreds of classes a year and we document them all. We used to focus a lot of the infrastructure and tools years ago. Paul Brown and I really started getting freaked out by an IRS audit because makerspaces have not been proven as a non profit entity in my experience. So we focused on a way to build more classes it was during that time I developed the honorarium program and personally I am extremely excited that it has lasted this long! I know it has had it’s fair share of critics but we are blowing away the number and quality of classes of other makerspaces including commercial ones.

As a Board Member - between the following two items - Would your focus be on saving money for a future move and/or unexpected expenses, or would it be focused on purchasing newer/bigger/better tools in the near future?

Money is a tool and should be used as such I think my past has shown I would rather focus on gaining members and less on savings we have approx 300K in cash if things went south that could be pulled from committee funds etc. but ultimately I feel like having a strong membership (Reoccuring Revenue) is a better case for financial responsibility than cash reserves

Management of Dallas Makerspace is always a “hot topic”. In your idea of a perfect solution, how would the “power” distribution of our community be handled ("Who has ‘final say’ on what items, etc…). The “players” in the solution include: “The Board”, “Committee Chairs” (or committees as a whole…), “The Membership” (via member votes, etc…), and possibly an “On Site Manager”. NOTE: If your plans include an “On Site Manager”, please elaborate with additional details such as expected duties, hours on site, etc…

I feel that the committee structure works well I think the structure allows for new people to assist before jumping into the deep end. I believe the BOD should act as an advisory role to a committee nothing is more upsetting than micromangment if there is an issue you remove the person and put in either someone else or you own it till someone else takes over

If you had to choose one of the following, do you feel that we should focus on “being the biggest and best” or “inter-committee projects and hackathons”?

Personally I think we have done a terrible job here, it’s hands down where we need the most improvement! @Brandon_Green has been absolutely the best at doing the hackathons and the large events such as the lemons car and trebuechet but as one of the largest makerspaces I would like to see us do more in this arena. I know one that I was a bit upset on was was the robot fighting league which is at Banana Raceway which is a great place but we should host sponsor and host the event I mean cmon were Dallas Makerspace @apipe I know has past experience with robots as well as the DPRG!

In your opinion, which types of agenda items should be included on Regular Member Meetings, and which should be included on Board of Directors Meetings?

Acceptable use policy for the forums should be at the member meetings. The BoD should handle capital expenses, direction and contracts

We are nearing 1500 members. What do you think the optimum number of members should be for our community?

I don’t think the answer is a number you can even guess, we have been very fortunate in that we have had great founders and volunteers that really put there blood, sweat and funds into DMS. to extend on that I believe we are do for an expansion and that’s something I hope to work on next year.

What will You do personally to encourage and ensure better new member experiences? I would like to give a shout out to @AlexRhodes and the PR team as well as Luis who IMO kicked butt this year on new member experiences. I used to be on every single tour for at least 3 years. This last year was the first year I could really count on the PR team to cover it and for that I am truly grateful though I do miss it sometimes, when you are talking to new members young and old who are in absolute amazement of what we have built it is truly a sight to be seen. I miss those tours

What is one of your major pet peeves about Dallas Makerspace? Members who send demand letters and threats to sue volunteers it’s a cowards game instead of working to solve the problem people sit on there laptop and criticize people that are working every day to make DMS a better place. Usually at the cost of there own personal projects and goals

Finally: Paint Booth or Not? Why or Why Not? If so, then where would you suggest it be located? Do you plan on sacrificing existing committee space(s)? What about the government regulations? And, since our lease does not allow storage of paint, how would that be handled?

No surprise here for me I am absolutely in favor of a paint booth! We have some of the best tooling available at any makerspace or even production shop for that matter but we have no finishing capabilities to me that is a huge fail on our front. There are some government regulations people need to be aware of but it’s not like they are sitting there out to kill you either. Alex and I called the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality earlier in the year and spoke with a very nice representative about our options and it appeared to me as absolutely doable we need to do some tracking but other than that it is not that big of deal. Space and Lease just takes some negotiation it should not be considered a blocker. Robert F. Kennedy said “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” I feel the same way there are a lot of people say that it’s impossible and it’s not doable to that I say get out of the way and let us try and fail as I would rather try and fail than fail to try.

[AlexRhodes]

Lisa, you’re never one for brevity.

What makes you stand out above and beyond the other candidates?

• I am 6’4" …Really though. Each candidate has a strong area and a weak area. And I do to, just fewer of them. . I don’t want to go negative and tell you every other persons weak area is. So this answer will have to do.

Regarding our Class/Event and Honorarium approval processes, do you feel we are currently balancing our Mission Statement (https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Mission_Statement) with what membership and the outlying community are interested in learning? If not, do you feel that our processes are currently too restrictive or not restrictive enough?

• I feel there has been a tendency to make classes more member only ever since the new calendar system allowed for that. The compliance classes need to be taught which are mainly member only. I would like to have most of those online as much as possible to free up those teachers for more advanced or project based classes that are open to the public.

As a Board Member - between the following two items - Would your focus be on saving money for a future move and/or unexpected expenses, or would it be focused on purchasing newer/bigger/better tools in the near future?

• I think it would be a balance between the two. I think the savings should be a percentage of our revenue and whats left after that can go to tools. What that percentage is up for debate.

Management of Dallas Makerspace is always a “hot topic”. In your idea of a perfect solution, how would the “power” distribution of our community be handled ("Who has ‘final say’ on what items, etc…). The “players” in the solution include: “The Board”, “Committee Chairs” (or committees as a whole…), “The Membership” (via member votes, etc…), and possibly an “On Site Manager”. NOTE: If your plans include an “On Site Manager”, please elaborate with additional details such as expected duties, hours on site, etc.

• This is one of those questions that is a damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If I say the board, then that means they can tell any chair what to do, like dispose of items. If I say the chairs, then when they dispose of an item you want the board to step in. While I believe the membership should have a say, they have their say at elections. The old saying of a camel is a horse designed by a committee comes to mind. If every decision had to be made by the members nothing would get done.

If you had to choose one of the following, do you feel that we should focus on “being the biggest and best” or “inter-committee projects and hackathons”?

• I think you become the biggest and best by having inter committee projects and hackathons. But its hard work, to get those events going. I tried with parking day last year and couldn’t enough enthusiasm to make it what I had envisioned. You are more than welcome to try though.

In your opinion, which types of agenda items should be included on Regular Member Meetings, and which should be included on Board of Directors Meetings.

• Member meetings should have status updates of the committees, introduce new members and hopefully gain interest on group projects.
• BoD meetings should stick to capital purchases, committee requests, legal issues ( theft and such) and unfortunately discipline issues.

We are nearing 1500 members. What do you think the optimum number of members should be for our community?

• No idea, but its a slippery slope if you start limiting people. Who gets in and who doesn’t?

What will You do personally to encourage and ensure better new member experiences?
I am working towards easier access to tools with the online system and tool classification. I have worked on the calendar system and hope to still be a part of that project. I have worked on the handbook that everyone should get when the sign up and do my best to keep that updated. I have given countless tours over the years to make sure proper expectations are set.

What is one of your major pet peeves about Dallas Makerspace?

• The way some people interact on the fourms.

Finally: Paint Booth or Not? Why or Why Not? If so, then where would you suggest it be located? Do you plan on sacrificing existing committee space(s)? What about the government regulations? And, since our lease does not allow storage of paint, how would that be handled?

• If someone else wants to take the lead on figuring out all those questions, I will support them, but it won’t be my priority.

That’s all the questions I plan on answering, People should come to the Meeting on Thursday.

edit: I realized I missed a question.

[LisaSelk]

@Robert_Davidson & @AlexRhodes ~ Thank you both for taking the time to respond with thoughtful answers to not only the questions that I posted - but the ones posted by @Raymond & @Cairenn_Day as well.

I imagine having some idea of where the candidates stand on various issues will be helpful - especially for members who are not able to attend the Meet the Candidates meeting on Thursday.

Thanks again! :dms:

[AndrewLeCody]

Candidates, what is your position on protecting personal information (names, email, access times, messages, metadata, etc) of members and guests? If elected do you plan to request access to raw or non-anonymized data, and if so, for what purpose?

Previously some members have asked for non-anonymized data of various users of Talk. I fear that these requests were made with the intent of retailition or to have a chilling effect on usage of the forums. We’ve had at least two such requests to my knowledge, and while previous boards have agreed with protecting member privacy, I would like to be assured that candidates for the next board will uphold that standard.

As a long-time privacy activist, this issue is important to me.

[Kriskat30]

What are your thoughts on the freebie shelf and are you for or against it?

While I have not really used the freebie shelf I recognize how it has been an important part of DMS for many members. I would not be opposed to the idea of another one starting as long as we had reliable volunteers to maintain it. But thats the key…volunteers run DMS and volunteers can get burnt out.

How do you see the board moving above the day-to-day operations and more into strategy for the future?

The growth DMS is seeing doesn’t seem to be slowing. A growth plan for 1, 2 and 5 years out should be a standard in any growing organization. Day to day operations are a part of this organization. If it needs to be done, its got to get done and the buck stops with the BoD.

More answers after a little sleep!

[Kriskat30]

What makes you stand out above and beyond the other candidates? While I have a caring and nurturing nature I am not afraid to have any confrontations that need to happen. Tact and diplomacy are strong skills I have developed over the years as well as the ability to listen.

Regarding our Class/Event and Honorarium approval processes, do you feel we are currently balancing our Mission Statement (https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Mission_Statement) with what membership and the outlying community are interested in learning?
Teaching is core to DMS. I believe it is the most important thing we do and can do for people. To that end we need to encourage future teachers to step up and volunteer. I like how the system benefits both teacher and committee but there is always room to fine tune it.

As a Board Member - between the following two items - Would your focus be on saving money for a future move and/or unexpected expenses, or would it be focused on purchasing newer/bigger/better tools in the near future?

Balance is the key word for me. With our history of growth we are going to have to expand at some point. at the same time we have repairs and purchases that are needed and wanted. You cannot have a successful long term organization without balancing the needs of the future with the needs of today.

Management of Dallas Makerspace is always a “hot topic”. In your idea of a perfect solution, how would the “power” distribution of our community be handled ("Who has ‘final say’ on what items, etc…). The “players” in the solution include: “The Board”, “Committee Chairs” (or committees as a whole…), “The Membership” (via member votes, etc…), and possibly an “On Site Manager”. NOTE: If your plans include an “On Site Manager”, please elaborate with additional details such as expected duties, hours on site, etc…

The membership of DMS votes in the BoD which has the final say so make sure you vote in a board you have confidence in to carry out the job. Committees have autonomy in their own areas and should stay that way unless a problem comes up that needs the BoD advise or attention. I believe the BoD should be quick to let the membership know that they are on top of an issue to be resolved.

If you had to choose one of the following, do you feel that we should focus on “being the biggest and best” or “inter-committee projects and hackathons”?
Biggest and Best sounds great but you really cant get to that point without utilizing all your skills and those would include working with other committees and group projects for the space.

In your opinion, which types of agenda items should be included on Regular Member Meetings, and which should be included on Board of Directors Meetings?

Membership meeting should be where any concerns or ideas can be discussed. From there, items that need action should be sent to the BoD meetings. Ideally, there should be a BoD meeting soon afterward to address the concerns of the membership

We are nearing 1500 members. What do you think the optimum number of members should be for our community?
What will You do personally to encourage and ensure better new member experiences?

Much of what I do now since it is very important to me. In depth orientation along with personal interaction getting to know our new members and empowering them to make DMS their own. I would also start a teacher recruitment program to help identify new teachers and keep volunteer burn out low.

What is one of your major pet peeves about Dallas Makerspace? The appearance of favoritism, whether real or perceived is a pet peeve of mine.

Finally: Paint Booth or Not? Why or Why Not? If so, then where would you suggest it be located? Do you plan on sacrificing existing committee space(s)? What about the government regulations? And, since our lease does not allow storage of paint, how would that be handled? There are times I have struggled with painting something outside and thought a paint booth would come in handy. But if it meant taking away a committee then I would not be a part of that.
[/quote]

[Robert_Davidson]

This is a great question!

Never in the history of DMS have we had so many demands for members private information the year started off with demands for records that identify who members voted for to additional requests for personal emails, private messages, complaints. As secretary I feel it is my responsibility to protect the members from these questionable acts at best to a vendetta at worse. I set the stage for a fully outsourced voting system and I do hope in the future to fully migrate to a system where your confidentiality is maintained. I think it’s been pretty public that Walter and I are on completely diffrent sides of the table as he feels that he can just request any information about anyone and expect to get anything more than what is legally required and even that I believe we should implement a canary to report when data is shared.