March 2025 Member Election Phase

We voted for - Bartek.eth (L2BEAT) - Fred (Arbitrum Contributor) - Michael Lewellen (BlockAid) - Yoav.eth (Ethereum Foundation) Rationale: Our decision-making process focused primarily on three key criteria, with geographic diversity as a secondary consideration: Deep Security Expertise: This was paramount. The Security Council needs members capable of implementing rapid upgrades and fixes when vulnerabilities arise, requiring significant technical expertise. We highly valued not just general technical understanding, but specific knowledge of security practices – identifying vulnerabilities and knowing effective mitigation strategies, areas where auditors and security researchers often excel. Profound Understanding of the Arbitrum Protocol: A deep comprehension of Arbitrum's specific design and mechanics is crucial for effective security governance. Fred, in particular, stands out due to his role as a Tech Lead and deep involvement with the protocol's intricacies, making his continued presence on the council highly valuable. Proven Track Record in Security Council Participation: While relying solely on past participation risks stagnation, practical experience in handling emergency situations ("war room" scenarios) is critical. This goes beyond theoretical security knowledge to include demonstrated ability to act effectively under pressure, informed by protocol understanding. Several candidates have direct experience from the first cohort, and Michael Lewellen has extensive experience in similar roles across other DAOs. Geographic Diversity (Supplementary): Given the pool of candidates primarily from the US, Europe, and the Middle East, we aimed for a reasonable distribution across these regions. However, we note a significant gap in coverage for the Asian time zone. This remains a concern, and initiatives to encourage qualified individuals from this region to participate in future elections might be beneficial. Overall, these four candidates represent a strong combination of deep technical security skills, specific Arbitrum knowledge, and practical experience in handling critical security responsibilities, balanced with reasonable geographic distribution among the available nominees.