Pirates of PASS: Curse of the Elections Process

Cross posted from Jorge Segarra's blog The last few weeks we’ve watched the drama unfold in regards to the PASS BOD elections. We’ve seen people attack criticize the NomCom, the board, PASS itself, the process and the decision of feeding of Gremlins after midnight. Thankfully the fireworks have died down and we can take a look at everything that has happened and make strides to move forward in a positive (and more importantly) constructive manner. Given that, I’ve been asked by my good friend Kevin Kline (Blog | Twitter) to respond to the following: Many in the community seem to think … [Read more...]

Broken or Just Bent? #passvotes

Cross Posted from TimMitchell.net Though things have died down a bit since the initial backlash, the recent development in the PASS board election process is still the talk of the town.  I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a number of folks about this, and have read some excellent blogs and other opinion pieces from those on both sides of the debate.  I traded some e-mails with Kevin Kline, a longtime member of the PASS board of directors, and he asked an interesting question: “Many in the community seem to think that the PASS election process is badly broken.  Do you think that PASS … [Read more...]

#passvotes Tweaks and Data Geeks: PASS Election 2011

Cross posted from Stuart Ainsworth’s codegumbo. Obviously, the angst over the 2010 PASS elections still lives on for some, and some of you are probably ready to move on to more immediate concerns, but as for me, I’m stuck here trying to figure out what I should learn from all of this.  I do think we as a community need to move forward, and to that end, I’ve agreed to participate in Kevin Kline’s series on the PASS elections process, and answer the following question: “Many in the community seem to think that the PASS election process is badly broken.  Do you think that PASS needs to … [Read more...]

A PASSionate Community

Cross posted from Joe Webb's blog. Much has been voiced about the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Nominating Committee’s decision to not put Steve Jones (blog, twitter) on the ballot for this year’s Board of Directors election. I’ve watched this controversy unfold with great interest, biting my tongue to keep from making rash or reactionary comments one way or the other. I’m currently working on a guest blog post for a series that Kevin Kline (blog, twitter) is starting on the election process. In the coming days my guest post will appear on my site and on Kevin’s … [Read more...]

A Community Divided

Cross posted from Joe Webb's blog. People have been screaming from rooftops for a month now about the PASS election process, ever since a beloved member of our SQL Server community was shunned in his bid to run for the PASS Board of Directors. The community has reacted vocally. PASS has reacted defensively. And unfortunately much of the back and forth has been speaking “at” each other rather than “with” each other. Watching this has been almost as bad as watching someone burn bacon! Almost. Kevin Kline (blog, twitter) has asked a number of leaders in the community to … [Read more...]