Committee Conflict of Interest resolution

committee-code-of-conduct/election.md

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ This document outlines the process, for Code of Conduct Committee (CoCC) electio
 
 ### Eligibility for voting
 
-* Voting will be done by members of the steering committee.
-* A member of the steering committee who is also a nominee for the code of conduct committee is not eligible to vote.
+* Voting will be done by members of the Steering Committee.
+* A member of the Steering Committee who is also a nominee for the Code of Conduct Committee is not eligible to vote.
 
 ### Eligibility for candidacy
 
@@ -25,16 +25,17 @@ This document outlines the process, for Code of Conduct Committee (CoCC) electio
 
 ### Election process
 
-The steering committee will announce a request for nominations some time in July from anyone meeting the [eligibility for candidacy](#eligibility-for-candidacy) guidelines.
+The Steering Committee will announce a request for nominations some time in July from anyone meeting the [eligibility for candidacy](#eligibility-for-candidacy) guidelines.
 
-The steering committee will accept nominations for at least 1 week. Though the steering
-committee may choose to accept nominations for longer. Once the announced nomination
-period ends, steering committee will hold an election using [Elekto](https://elections.k8s.io/)
+The Steering Committee will accept nominations for at least 1 week. Though the Steering
+Committee may choose to accept nominations for longer. Once the announced nomination
+period ends, Steering Committee will hold an election using [Elekto](https://elections.k8s.io/)
 and will publicly announce the results of the election.
 
 #### Nomination process
 
 Nominations can be collected via any means. In the past a Google form has been used to collect nominations. The form had the following questions which may be used as a template for subsequent elections:
+
 * Email Address (required)
 * Name of Nominee (required)
 * Email address of Nominee (required)
@@ -44,20 +45,25 @@ Nominations can be collected via any means. In the past a Google form has been u
 
 The nomination form must be communicated via email to [Kubernetes dev](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/kubernetes-dev) mailing list.
 
-Prior to the voting process, Steering must:
-* Vet that all nominees support the role of the code of conduct committee, i.e. maintaining a safe and inclusive space for everyone to work on Kubernetes.
+Prior to the voting process, Steering Committee must:
+
+* Vet that all nominees support the role of the Code of Conduct Committee i.e., maintaining a safe and inclusive space for everyone to work on Kubernetes.
 * Confirm with all nominees (that were not self nominations) that they accept the nomination.
 
 ### Maximal representation
 
 Maximal representation of a single employer is `QUORUM - 1`. With a five person committee,
 that limits the number of members employed by the same company to two.
 
+### Committee Conflicts of Interest
+
+Potential committee conflicts of interest are detailed in the [election documentation](/elections/committee-conflict-of-interest.md).
+
 ### Election Cycles
 
 Election cycles are scheduled such that roughly half of the seats come up for
 re-election each year for purposes of continuity.  The exact number of seats
-alternates between 2 and 3. The elections by the steering committee should be
+alternates between 2 and 3. The elections by the Steering Committee should be
 held and announced before the previous appointments expire (typically in Aug).
 
 ### Emeritus Term
@@ -68,19 +74,21 @@ lists, historical data, and any other activities related to the CoCC.
 
 ### Vacancies
 
-In the event of a resignation or other loss of an elected committee
+In the event of a resignation or other loss of an elected CoCC
 member, the candidate with the next most votes from the previous election will
 be offered the seat.  This process will continue until the seat is filled.
 
 In case this fails to fill the seat, a special election for that position will
 be held as soon as possible. Eligible voters from the most recent election
 will vote in the special election (ie: eligibility will not be redetermined
-at the time of the special election). A committee member elected in a special
+at the time of the special election). A CoCC member elected in a special
 election will serve out the remainder of the term for the person they are
 replacing, regardless of the length of that remainder.
 
-In the event that the committee votes to dissolve in its entirety an entirely
-new special election will be held by the steering committee instead of filling
-with names from the previous election. Those elected will complete the remaining
-terms of the previous, dissolved, committee. With those receiving the highest
-votes receiving the longest term.
+In the event that the CoCC votes to dissolve in its entirety, a special
+election will be held by the Steering Committee (instead of filling with names
+from the previous election). Those elected will complete the remaining terms of
+the dissolved CoCC.
+
+Candidates receiving the highest number of votes will receive the longest term
+from the seats open for election.

committee-code-of-conduct/incident-process.md

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ At times we encourage community members to email us if an incident is ongoing an
 
 The Code of Conduct Committee's primary means of contact is our email address, [email protected]. 
 
-We can also be reached via Slack direct messages to individual committee members (see [member list](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/tree/master/committee-code-of-conduct#members)) or otherwise, though we might direct you to contact us via email. 
+We can also be reached via Slack direct messages to individual CoCC members (see [member list](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/tree/master/committee-code-of-conduct#members)) or otherwise, though we might direct you to contact us via email.
 
 ### How is the privacy of a report protected?
 
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ When deciding how to address an incident, the Code of Conduct Committee follows
 - Prioritizing education and coaching for those involved, when possible
 - Prioritizing the protection of contributing members of the Kubernetes project over external parties. This does not mean that we protect people with a higher number of commits or more seniority in the project, however.
 
-In general, the committee strives for unanimous consensus before taking an action.
+In general, the CoCC strives for unanimous consensus before taking an action.
 
 For example, we may choose to do nothing, to issue a private warning, to offer coaching, to recommend organizational changes, or to ban someone from a community platform. 
 

elections/committee-conflict-of-interest.md

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Committee Conflicts of Interest
+
+At time of writing, the only known conflict of interest for serving on
+committees in the Kubernetes Community exists with the
+[Steering Committee](/committee-steering/README.md) and
+the [Code of Conduct Committee (CoCC)](/committee-code-of-conduct/README.md).
+
+## Steering Committee and Code of Conduct Committee
+
+**_Kubernetes Community members cannot serve on both committees simultaneously._**
+
+This conflict may arise in the following scenarios:
+
+- A standing Steering Committee member has accepted a nomination to serve on
+  the Code of Conduct Committee
+- A standing CoCC member has elected to run for a seat on the Steering
+  Committee
+- A Kubernetes Community member has been nominated for candidacy for both
+  committees
+
+There are several factors under consideration when formulating a reasonable
+process for resolving this conflict of interest:
+
+- The distinctness of the Steering and CoCC charters, not limited to how these
+  committees need to adjudicate on community matters
+- The Kubernetes Community's expectation of commitment in its committee members
+  for duration of their terms
+- Continuity of committees and the duties they discharge
+- Undue burden on existing committee members to balance workload through
+  committee membership transitions, not limited to onboarding/offboarding
+- Undue burden on Election Officers in supporting overlapping elections with
+  the potential to generate conflicts
+- Minimization of conflict of interest edge cases not otherwise described by
+  this document
+
+With these considerations in mind, the following rules exist to prevent or
+resolve membership conflicts of interest between Steering and the CoCC:
+
+<!-- TODO(committee-coi): Reflect this list in each committee's "Eligibility for candidacy" section -->
+
+- Loss of committee member that occurs due to this conflict of interest will
+  be resolved per existing election or committee vacancy rules
+- Candidates who are nominated for a seat on both Steering and CoCC within the
+  same 12-month period must:
+  - (if elected) accept a seat on the committee whose election concludes first
+  - be withdrawn from candidacy in second election to conclude
+- Standing Steering or CoCC members must have served on their committee for a
+  period of twelve (12) months to be considered eligible for candidacy in the
+  other committee's election
+- Kubernetes Community members who have recently vacated a seat on either
+  Steering or CoCC will be ineligible for candidacy for a period of three (3)
+  months
+
+Should this conflict of interest arise in a manner that cannot be resolved by
+these rules, a non-conflicted Election Officer or, in the event that a Steering
+Committee election is not active, a non-conflicted Steering Committee member
+will reach out to the candidate to discuss resolution.