In 2008, I was concerned that ArbCom was out of touch with the community and did not have enough members whose primary focus prior to election was on adding top content; I believe the issues of concern were addressed as effectively as possible by the 2009 ArbCom. Considering the issues affecting ArbCom last year, I stand by most of my votes in last year's election (with some notable exceptions). Many observers noted that the 2009 ArbCom was one of Wiki's finest ever; however, burnout and "hounding" were factors that seriously impacted the 2009 ArbCom, with two of Wiki's most highly supported arbitrators resigning from ArbCom (Kirill Lokshin and Casliber). Additionally, at least one case was impacted by a high number of recusals, leading to a low number of members left to arbitrate the case. As a result of these factors and others, ArbCom appears to have moved away from arbitrating and towards mediating some cases, leaving intractable problems in the hands of the community rather than making tough decisions, resulting in a drain on the time of many of Wiki's most productive editors. Tough, thorough, and scrupulous arbs are a clear necessity this year, especially considering the issues introduced by the possibility of an 18-member panel compromised possibly of arbs with low support tallies.
The 2009 ArbCom elections will name up to eight or nine new members (if they attain at least 50% support) for two-year terms to the Committee currently occupied by thirteen members.
Like last year, some 2009 ArbCom deliberations and decisions highlight the need for reform. It still takes ArbCom too long to reach conclusions already understood by editors who are daily "in the trenches" of article writing, and at least one case was inflamed by unfortunate feedback from some arbs who didn't appear to thoroughly understand the case. This year, I'll add cojones to the qualities we most need to balance and beef up ArbCom, hopefully returning the committee to a stronger arbitrating body that respects the valuable time of volunteers. I will generally (allowing for the rare exception) consider the following factors as important towards attaining a balanced ArbCom: