Majority of ICANN Board “hopelessly naive”
September 10th, 2008Do you remember March 2007, “Smithsonian Leader Under Fire for Expenses?”
“Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, has asked Roberts to review what the senator has called “lavish expenditures by [the head of the Smithsonian]” …. Grassley also said the board appeared to be ‘rubber-stamping… and turning a blind eye to very serious issues….’ and has suggested that the Smithsonian’s budget be cut because of excessive spending and that the composition of its board be changed.”
Of course, that’s the Smithsonian. Nothing to do with ICANN…. Compare below.
ICANN Fiscal Year 2007 Director’s expenses (PDF):
| Director | Expenses (US$) |
|---|---|
| Paul Twomey | $121,500.00 |
| Steve Crocker | $58,237.34 |
| Peter Thrush | $42,299.98 |
| David Wodelet | $40,174.82 |
| Vinton G. Cerf | $27,504.52 |
| Rajasekhar Ramaraj | $22,214.31 |
| Joichi Ito | $18,025.30 |
| Rita Rodin | $8,192.84 |
| Suzanne Woolf | $7,905.48 |
| Raimundo Beca | $5,878.02 |
| Demi Getschko | $4,752.70 |
| Bruce Tonkin | $3,852.00 |
| Vittorio Bertola | $2,862.31 |
| Vanda Scartenzini | $2,712.44 |
| Steve Goldstein | $2,511.48 |
| Thomas Narten | $2,408.26 |
| Susan Crawford | $1,606.98 |
| Veni Markovski | $1,116.47 |
| Roberto Gaetano | $891.98 |
| Janis Karklins | $338.76 |
| Njeri Rionge | $130.00 |
| Hagen Hultzsch | $0.00 |
| Alejandro Pisanty | $0.00 |
Clearly the majority of ICANN directors, with scarcely-believable expenses of $10,000 or less, are hopelessly naive at best. What sort of example does this set for ICANN staff? An entire village in the third world could starve on this sort of stipend. The “experienced” directors should take them aside and show them how it’s done. We can only hope that by the time the 2008 figures come out they will have learned enough to spare themselves (and all of us who care about ICANN) this sort of public embarrassment.
It may be that there is a perfectly innocent explanation. I therefore urge those exposed by this report, and in particular the top two, Alejandro Pisanty and Hagen Hultzsch, to present a full accounting to the ICANN community to clear up any misunderstandings.
In the meantime, the public must wonder how these slackers who lack the creativity even to come up with decent-sized expense reports can be expected to assure the stability of the Internet!
And those “lavish expenditures” at the Smithsonian? US$90,000 over two years. Pitiful amateurs.
Tags: ICANN, ICANN Board, ICANN expenses, Smithsonian, Paul Twomey, Steve Crocker, Peter Thrush, David Wodelet, Vint Cerf, Rajasekhar Ramaraj, Joi Ito, Rita Rodin, Suzanne Woolf, Raimundo Beca, Demi Getschko, Bruce Tonkin, Vittorio Bertola, Vanda Scatenzini, Steve Goldstein, Thomas Narten, Susan Crawford, Veni Markovski, Roberto Gaetano, Janis Karklins, Njeri Rionge, Hagen Hultzsch, Alejandro Pisanty
If we can teach ICANN directors how to pick up a pen to enter their expenses and sign them, we’ll be all set. However, previous research shows that ICANN is unable to author anything of worth.
Virtual C | September 11th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Once a bureaucracy has been established, only wait for these expenses … and the ICANN fees … to increase. With so many valid criticisms of ICANN, one can’t help but marvel the stellar growth and maturity of yet another metaphor for waste.
Mickie Kennedy | September 11th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Nice find Antony. The stability of the internet surely depends on these expense reports being as fully padded as possible. Thank you for pointing out the atrocity.
Adam | September 13th, 2008 at 3:49 pm