I remember talking to Quiz about the position of arbiter when this place was coming together. My understanding of the postion at its conception was that the arbiter was not the leader of the community, nor necessarily a leader. Rather, exactly as the name imples, the arbiter was to be our judge in matters that we do not or can not handle appropriately. We had a lot of drama in our old home, and part of the problem was the lack of designated parties, trusted by all, who could be relied upon to settle disputes fairly. The arbiter was to be our solution to those problems.
As it turns out, our first arbiter also happend to be the man who led us here, built our new home, and guided us for the last three years. Our arbiter and our leader were the same person. Because of that, I think we have come to view the postion of arbiter as leader. That is fine, if that is what the community wants. We are not afraid of leadership here. It is not a dirty word.
However, we need to remember our old home and remember that many times, those in the midst of the trouble we had were some of those who were viewed as our leaders. The importance in discerning the role of arbiter separate from the role of leader is best seen in the wisdom of having a separate judiciary branch. When justice is subject to leadership, leadership often defines justice. An independent arbiter views the leader the same as the newbie. Everyone is equal and deserves equal treatment. There was too much protectionism in our old home, too much cronyism. An independent arbiter helps to prevent that.
I am flattered to be nominated. I have been a member of this community for a long time. I have been involved in a number of ways, but almost always quietly and discretely. I am happy to serve where needed. I have a wife, three kids, and a new business. My time is limited. I drop into IRC maybe once a month, and I'll never be able to lurk there. These forums are my home page, and as such, come up 20 times per day. I check new posts and read many. I don't linger too long in individual gaming forums, mostly because I am unfamiliar with the games and their respective communities. I am a moderator here, but never moderate. I believe in less moderation, and that is a postion I can maintain because we have many vigilant and dependable moderators around here who will get to it sooner and better than I would. I am always available via e-mail, PM, or through the forums. Because I don't post much doesn't mean I am not here. I beleive in maximum inclusion, in making this a home for as many good people as possible. I believe in fairness and I do not rush to judgement. Second chances are usually warranted, third chances rarely so. I believe we should be grateful for those who serve this community, but I do not believe service should excuse accountability. I am happy to serve if asked, and equally happy if not.
So, each of us needs to decide what he wants from an arbiter. If the arbiter should be something akin to my conception, then I can do as good a job as many around here. If an arbiter needs to be very visible, active in irc, and frequently posting, I am probably not the man for the job. We really can't go wrong with any of the present nominees, except maybe for esd (that is a joke, for those of you who don't know my sarcasm). Any of our choices would be good ones.
(better be nice to me, esd, or I'll not be buying the beer next time I come to London) 
"All I was trying to do was get people to want to make their own new ring of light so that it is forever a name with meaning and substance ...." - BlackDove the Beneficent
).
