On Tue, Apr 26, 2005 at 05:37:01PM -0500, Branden Robinson / Debian Project Leader wrote: > I have approved the reimbursement of some miscellaneous expenses Martin > Michlmayr accrued in the course of his duties as Debian Project Leader, in > the amount of GBP 230.37 to be paid from the funds of the Debian UK > Society. > > Details are attached. Martin has complained, with some justification, that I may have disclosed sensitive information by posting this message to -project instead of -private. (More specifically, he feels I may have breached his trust by redistributing a private mail he sent me.) I made the decision I did because I'm not entirely sure I agree with his assessment. A mail sent to me as Debian Project Leader cannot be expect to be held in absolutely strict confidence. As previous project leaders have, I may discuss the mail I receive in my official capacity with advisors, with delegates, with other developers, or even with the public -- it depends on the sensitivity of the issue and the breadth of the audience to which it's relevant. Because people from all over the world donate money to the Debian Project, I cannot really regard a request for the disbursement of Debian money as a wholly private matter. I quoted those parts of Martin's mail which enumerated the expenses for which he wanted reimbursement, and his overall justification for requesting it. These are not things I feel I can keep a secret from the Debian developers, who have entrusted me with the responsibility to deal with Debian's money. I cannot put my hand into Debian's coffers, and then tell Debian's own developers it's none of their business what I'm doing. If you mail leader@debian.org, you are mailing an elected official with a responsibility to many people, and must necessarily be expecting that official to act or speak on behalf of the nine-hundred plus Debian developers. If that's not what you expect, leader@debian.org may not be the correct address to send your mail to. If all you want to do is mail the Debian Project Leader to get something off your chest, and expect no reply or action, then say so. (If you'd like to share something with me on a personal level, mail me at branden@deadbeast.net, and feel free to GPG-encrypt it. Unless it's threatening or abusive, I will happily regard it as part of my private life.) I welcome your thoughts. -- G. Branden Robinson Debian Project Leader leader@debian.org http://people.debian.org/~branden/
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