All:
I wanted to share an update on the elections at the GNSO Council level.  I am 
not a Council member, but as a former Council member and veteran of several 
elections, I am helping with strategy and communication.

Below is some background about the current position that is open, and who is 
running.  I hope it will start a dialogue on our list.  Should we invite them 
to talk on a call with the NCUC -- one in which we express our concerns and 
ask whether they can help and support us?

Regards, Kathy

Background:
Michael Palage, an ICANN Board member elected from the GNSO Council, resigned 
suddenly a few weeks ago.  The GNSO Council is now in the process of electing 
a replacement.  

As of the close of the nomination period, 5 candidates were nominated and 
properly seconded to run for the position:  
Michael Geist - by us!
Marilyn Cade - from Business Constituency
Philip Sheppard - also from Business Constituency
Rita Rodin - a joint nomination by Registry and Registrar Constituencies
At the last minute, Michael Roberts was nominated by the ISP Constituency
Subsequently, Marilyn Cade withdrew her name.

Nominees: 
Our nomination of Michael Geist was a superb move.  Geist is a Professor of 
Law. University of Ottowa, Canada, with a long history of working on ICANN 
projects, writing criticism of ICANN (including its uniform dispute resolution 
policy), urging more openness in ICANN's work, and opposing the .COM settlement. 
He is also a well-known writer about and expert on Internet law, and publisher 
of the BNA's daily Internet Law News with summaries of recent developments (a 
free publication!).  As the first nomination before Council, Geist set the 
bar very high for other candidates.

Philip Sheppard is the Manager Branding & Marketing Affairs for the European 
Brands Association.  An oldtimer in ICANN and the Council, his views in the 
Business Constituency are very, very closely affiliated with the Intellectual 
Property Constituency.

Rita Rodin is a young partner with Skadden Arps in New York City.  When she 
and I worked together on the final UDRP drafting committee, she represented the 
Registrar Constituency (though her work on behalf of Register.com).  
Subsequently, she went on to organize the registry Affilias on behalf of about a dozen 
registrars, and now represents registries and those who would like to be 
registries. She represents other areas of new technology, including Skype.  An 
intellectual property attorney, she just drafted the Free Software Foundation's 
new General Public License. 

Michael Roberts was the first President and CEO of ICANN (1998-2001).  He was 
a founder of the Internet Society and is now a policy consultant in the field 
of Internet technology.  To be candid, I never found Roberts to be candid or 
receptive to much of what NCUC tried to do in the early days of ICANN.