Civics Meeting Minutes 22nd Jan 2026

Jan 22, 2026 | Civics Committee

Attendees:

Name	Attendance	Role	Voting Seat (Y/N)	Election Term
Nicolas Cerny,	Yes	Chair	Y	April 2026
Larisa Mcfarlane	Yes	Secretary	N	N/A
Thomas Lindseth	Yes	Intersect	N	N/A
Ken-Erik O	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Nana Safo	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Alex Seregin	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Randy	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Dzubang Mermoz	Yes	Member	Y	April 2026
Ian Hartwell	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026
Megan Dyamond	Apologies	Member	Y	October 2026
Musa Ridwan Itopa	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026
Simon Fleck	Yes	Member	Y	October 2026

Recording: To be added once processed

Transcript: CIVICS Committee (Intersect) Meeting - 2026/01/22 12:57 GMT - Transcript

Meeting Agenda: CIVICS Committee (2026/01/22)

1. Vice Chair Election Status & Technical Issues

2. CC Election Operations

3. Working Group Updates: CAP & Governance Education

4. Committee Strategy: Advisory Roles & Budgetary Needs

5. Community Outreach & Member Accountability

Decisions Made

• Election Extension: The Vice Chair election is officially extended until Monday to resolve technical issues.

• Election Plan B: If the voting portal remains non-functional by Monday, the election will be conducted live during the next committee meeting.

• CAP Phase Merger: Confirmed the merging of "Phase 1: Process" and "Phase 2: Tooling" within the Constitutional Amendment Process working group.

• CAP Working Group Governance: New members of the CAP working group were officially granted voting rights.

Action Items

• Process Documentation: TL to prepare a process description and RACI matrix within the next 2 weeks to formalize how staff and the committee will collaborate on elections.

• Governance Mapping: All Members requested to fill out NS’s survey/form regarding existing governance educational materials.

• Member Outreach: NC to reach out to AS to coordinate connections with Cardano ambassadors in Vietnam.

• X Space Planning: NS to co-host the next X Space in two weeks, specifically focusing on the topic of Governance Education.

• Member Profiles: All Members to submit short bios/content to LM via the "Content Scheduler" document in Google Drive for the Civics X account.

• Budget Advocacy: NC to continue discussions regarding a dedicated budget line for Civics in the upcoming Intersect budget cycle.

Topic	Discussion	Notes
Vice Chair Election	NC noted that recently onboarded members lacked correct permissions to vote in the vice chair election. LM confirmed technical difficulties persist.	Election extended until Monday. Plan B is to vote during the next meeting if the portal remains broken.
CC Election Responsibilities	TL discussed the option of Intersect governance team handling preparations for the next CC election to save volunteer resources, rather than spinning up a new working group.	Committee generally agreed. NC requested a RACI matrix and process document to formalize the handover.
Mandatory Credentials	TL proposed making credential generation a mandatory step for candidacy to avoid chasing winners post-election.	TL demoed a new registration portal v2.0 with step-by-step guides.
CAP Working Group Update	LM reported on the merge of "Process" and "Tooling" phases. The group adopted a baseline process using a GitHub repo and a new front-end portal.	New members joined following an X Space.
Governance Education	AS presented a Gap Analysis template to organize existing educational materials. Discussion followed on the need for cultural adaptation and reaching newcomers.	NS requested all members fill out the governance material survey form to help map current resources.
Committee Role & Impact	NC and KO discussed whether committees should be "executors" or "advisory boards." There is a push to move toward an advisory model where professional staff handle the heavy lifting.	NC noted the 500 ADA stipend is not a salary and doesn't cover full-time execution work.
Funding & Budgeting	NC expressed that the Civics Committee needs dedicated funding in the Intersect budget to avoid relying on "exploited free labor."	LM noted that budget lines for committees are a hard sell for the ecosystem-wide vote.
Member Accountability	WB (Observer) shared concerns regarding elected members who commit 10 hours in applications but only deliver 2 hours once elected.	WB suggested a framework for results should be in place before payments are issued to ensure accountability.
X Spaces Strategy	The committee discussed increasing the frequency of X Spaces. RI suggested weekly sessions to manage community expectations and provide feedback.	Next X Space planned for two weeks' time, focusing on Governance Education. NS to host.
Content Scheduling	LM re-introduced a "Content Scheduler" document to organize social media outreach and "get to know you" posts for committee members.	Members are encouraged to submit short bios via the Google Drive link for promotion on the Civics X account.