[Board] Funding for OSGeo President to attend global FOSS4G

[Jeff McKenna]

I must make a comment inline below:

On 2013-07-14 7:00 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
> Peter, I'm in favor of the principle, but would like to broaden the
> discussion before voting.
> 
> 1. First, I suggest that the global FOSS4G should cover the travel
> expenses of one OSGeo board member to attend the conference to speak on
> behalf of OSGeo, defaulting to the OSGeo president in most cases.
> 
> 2. The OSGeo Advocate page has a guide for expenses here:
> http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Advocate#Expenses
> This includes a speakers fee (to cover loss of wages), which can be
> waived. I suggest that the global FOSS4G conference should cover travel
> and expenses, but not this speakers fee. My reasoning is that I think it
> improves the reputation of the board's integrity if we are not perceived
> to be doing the job as a money making exercise.
> 
> 3. As Jeff has already volunteered to do for this conference, I think
> that there should be an expectation upon the paid OSGeo delegate to
> coordinate the OSGeo booth and marketing at the conference.
> 

I am a full -1 on the third point.  Note that the President's time is
not being paid for.  The motion is only to cover travel and living
expenses.  If you are actually paying the President for his/her time
(effort, time away from paying clients, time away from earning), then of
course we should also include in this motion all his/her
responsibilities during the event (but then, we get into a public wiki
page I made years ago).

I'd prefer to avoid all that, and simply support each year the President
of OSGeo having the ability to attend the global FOSS4G event, with
travel costs covered.

-jeff