​It is misleading, even dishonest, to allege misconduct by At-Large staff in this instance and I will tell you why.

Jacqueline has already pithily outlined the classic case but I will repeat it here for effect. 

In parts of the world where rules for [s]elections are established and where this exercise of democracy is routine, a candidate satisfying all other criteria and nominated for a position unopposed is duly [s]elected. ​

But this is LACRALO where our collective understanding of the process is, well, let me be generous and say uneven, at best.  

We simply don't understand that you cannot disavow or subvert the nomination portion of the process without calling the entire [s]election process into question. 

So, we walk extra miles to give those who don't understand time to come along, slowly.  That is the basis for the consensus poll - notice it is a poll - and why we in the Caribbean bothered to go along with that in the first place!  

As At-Large staff would have told all of you, this is not the same for other RALOs. They have matured in both thought and action.

Why does this bother me, you ask? Because it gets old and tiresome after trying for so long. And since it vexes my spirit, I run the real risk of reducing my life and its quality the longer I caucus here.

Now, to the hypocrites.  I ask your forgiveness for not being a good Christian. I simply detest hypocrisy. 

In the selection for a NomCom candidate this year, our esteemed colleague from Brazil and incumbent, Sylvia Leite Herlein, was nominated unopposed.  I enthusiastically supported her candidacy, not just only for the fact she had performed in the post. But I truly believe that a single 1-year term does not give the region the benefit of her service and expertise nor allow the region to build the influence we need in very important ICANN councils.

I personally discouraged - yes, discouraged - other nominations to muddy the path to her re-selection. We went along with Jacqueline Morris being de-selected after a single year. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do then.

With Sylvia's unopposed [s]election, no consensus poll took place.  And the At-Large staff notified the world in the same way as they did for Lance Hinds.

It was not that we in the Caribbean did not notice. Rather, it is because we have never felt any such poll was necessary in the first place.

Contrast then to now. There was not a whimper of complaint from our now erstwhile friends of LACRALO propriety, not one allegation of 'impropriety' raised! 

So now, I ask you, what is the difference here? We can either assume the guardians of LACRALO propriety were off busily thumb-sucking, even asleep at the switch.

Or, in this case for Lance Hinds nomination and selection, other operating conditions are applied.

Go figure.

-Carlton Samuels