Adding a new merger

Django Internals
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I would like to discuss adding a new merger. This is the role that is required for folk to commit to the ‘django/django’ repository.

The DEP10 governance model suggests between 3 and 5 people hold this role. This role is currently held by the two current fellows (@nessita and @sarahboyce) and @claudep. Adding one more would therefore move us to the middle of the suggested range.

Here’s a link to the relevant section in the governance framework. deps/final/0010-new-governance.rst at main · django/deps · GitHub

While I’ve been involved in the community PRs have been merged by the Fellows. That’s the way it’s been done, but now I see that @felixxm continues to be active and is reviewing/approving pull requests. (Note, part of the current activity is influenced by him being involved in the current djangonaut program).

If Mariusz has approved a PR, personally I’d be supportive of him also merging it and I think this would avoid some effort by the fellows to review the PR/merge. While my reading is that this is allowable under the governance model it’s quite a shift from the past few years where ~every PR has been merged by a Fellow.

There’s no rush here – even if the community decides this is something to progress with we would need to wait for a new steering council (SC) to be elected so they can vote on the proposal. It also assumes that Marisuz doesn’t stand for and get elected to the new SC as that would rule him out from holding this role.

What do you all think?

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I think ex-fellows in general have shown they can be trusted with the responsibility, so as long as they’re still reasonably active and not ineligible due to being on the SC or similar, I’d be very happy for them to be mergers.

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Completely agree here. If Mariusz is still planning to give his free time on Django, I’m +1 for that. Note that current fellows are already doing a great job, so this is not at all an indication that they are failing in any way!

And by the way, if the project wants to replace me in my merger role by a more active person, I’m also totally fine with that.

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Assuming Mariusz is good with it, that makes sense. Should we also check to see if there are any others who are interested in the role?

Maybe check with the long standing members of teams?

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+1, very happy to have him as a merger :grin:

100% agree. They also know about the back porting policy, style guide etc

As a side-note, I think the Fellowship WG should incorporate this as part of their off-boarding process for Fellows - they should ask about their planned future level of involvement and which roles they would like to continue having (releaser, merger, triage and review etc). (cc @jacobian)

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Thanks @smithdc1 for proposing my humble services :green_heart:. I’d be honored and happy to be an active Merger if the Steering Council accepts my candidacy :saluting_face:

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I missed but yeah I think Felix would be awesome to share the load :birthday:

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Great stuff :smiling_face: here’s the official Mergers membership process, the next step of which is the Steering Council following David’s recommendation with a formal nomination and vote.

The Steering Council is inoperative while elections are ongoing until the 19th December, but I’ll make sure this is listed in the handover documentation we’re preparing for the newly-elected members.

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