Dear Council colleagues, I'm pleased to provide this update on SSR2 and a proposal for next steps. - The SO/AC Chairs met this morning and agreed to finalise the slate of members going forward on the RT by this Friday. - The group agreed that the additional potential member (as noted in our motion of February) from GNSO could join, along with a possible additional member from SSAC. - The GNSO's SSC made clear that the additional volunteer was qualified and first choice in the event of an opening; our motion 20180222-2 ( https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/resolutions#201802) states (note Resolved 5 bolded below): Resolved, 1. The GNSO Council nominates Rao Naveed bin Rais to replace James Gannon on the SSR2-RT. 2. The GNSO Council instructs the GNSO Secretariat to communicate resolved #1 to the staff supporting the SSR2-RT as soon as possible. 3. The GNSO Council instructs the GNSO Secretariat to inform the selected applicant that he has been chosen and that the GNSO Council expects that the applicant will represent the views of the entire GNSO community in his work on the SSR2-RT, and provide regular feedback as a group on the discussions taking place in the SSR2-RT, as well as the positions being taken by GNSO Review Team Members. 4. The GNSO Council asks the GNSO Secretariat to send a response to the applicant who was not selected, thanking him for his continued interest. The response should also encourage him to follow the SSR2-RT work, and participate in Public Comments and community discussions. 5. *If the Council is in a position to nominate an additional candidate for the SSR2-RT in the future, the Council will consider Scott McCormick as a first choice for this position, following the SSC's recommendation that he is also a strong and qualified candidate.* In light of the effort to finalise the slate by the end of this week, may I propose the following as an immediate next step - is it sufficient and acceptable that we interpret "the Council will consider Scott McCormick as a first choice for this position" as being satisfied by a call on the Council list for objections to adding Scott McCormick to be raised over a period of 48 hours or so, and at the same time Council leadership may contact Scott to determine whether he's still willing to be appointed to the RT? Please in the first instance respond with your thoughts on the proposed approach of call for objections, which proposal I make mindful that I would not like for GNSO to miss the Friday deadline and be the group that holds up the appointment of the facilitator (which won't take place until the slate is confirmed) and thus the re-start. Best wishes, Heather