This is a personal message (not on behalf of the ALAC) and targeted at the voting directors on this list. We have been told regularly that if the community has the power to remove individual directors, and particularly if those appointed by SO/ACs can be removed by sole action of the entity that appointed them, that this would impinge on the independence of directors and particularly, those directors threatened with the potential of removal would act differently, presumably to appease their communities or protect their right to remain an ICANN director. If I counted correctly, there are eleven voting directors on this list, four appointed by AC/SOs and seven by the NomCom. I think I know most of you to some extent, and some I have worked closely with or observed for quite a number of years. My own perspective is that if you were confronted with a situation where you had to pander to the community or do what you thought was right, it would be a moderately easy choice, and it would be to do what you thought was right. Would you consult and discuss? Certainly. Would you change your opinion in the face of a good argument, I hope so. But would you just give in to protect your position? For those of you that I know, not very likely, perhaps you would move in the opposite direction! If my assessment is correct, then the question becomes do we believe that SO/ACs will deliberately appoint people who are malleable and will vote as their SO/AC desires instead of making decisions on behalf of ICANN as a whole. I would contend that there is nothing to prevent them doing so now. If there is strong evidence of a problem, then we should take action regardless of changes proposed. If not, then perhaps the problem is not as large as some presume. Given all that, what am I misunderstanding and what is the problem with the power to remove directors, a power that I suspect will be used as often as the current board power to unilaterally remove directors and most liaisons without cause (https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#VI-11). Alan