TL;DR : Electric Coin Co. (ECC) is launching the Zcash Ad Hoc Caucus (ZAC) as a temporary mechanism to inform ECC’s view of the Zcash community consensus regarding the upcoming expiration and renewal of the development fund. The ZAC corresponds to Zcash Foundation’s ZCAP. ZAC will consist of diverse participants from the Zcash ecosystem, including builders, ECC and Zcash Foundation affiliates, miners, and others, to ensure decisions on the development fund renewal reflect a broad consensus beyond those active on the Forum or in the ZCAP. Additional details on ZAC, including how to join, will be announced later this week.
Dear Zcash Fam,
On a personal note: One of the new responsibilities in my role as VP of Strategic Alliances at ECC is to engage with the Zcash community to facilitate the continuous process of decentralizing governance aspects of the Zcash ecosystem. As I suspect you all understand and appreciate, decentralization is not a destination, but an ongoing quest. Having worked as an attorney in technology policy in Washington, DC, for many years, I hope I can bring some wisdom from being a close observer of governance processes, and I am excited to officially kick-off an effort for ECC to increase engagement with the Zcash community on a critically important governance process we must urgently address together. I take this opportunity very seriously, and always welcome your constructive feedback.
Speaking in my official capacity: Electric Coin Co. warmly welcomes Matthew’s (@gguy’s) proposal and appreciates the constructive dialogue it has initiated. As conversations progress here on the Forum, we want to introduce an additional mechanism to capture community sentiment.
ECC is committed to adhering to the guidelines outlined in our Trademark Donation and License Agreement with the Zcash Foundation (ZF), which requires joint agreement on the clear consensus of the Zcash community. We recognize the urgent need to advance the decentralization of Zcash’s governance and are aware that the current structures must evolve. Although comprehensive governance reforms may be postponed or may not take effect until after the current development fund expires, ECC is eager to work with the Zcash community on a gradual shift toward a more decentralized governance model.
To balance our long-term decentralization goals with our immediate responsibility to engage the community, ECC is forming a temporary group, the Zcash Ad Hoc Caucus (ZAC). This group will consist of verified participants from the Zcash ecosystem, including those who have offered feedback through the Zcash User Research and Engagement (ZURE) Project led by Tatyana, active builders, ECC and Zcash Foundation affiliates, Zeboot attendees, Zcash miners and others. ZAC members will be polled on critical decisions regarding the development fund renewal to guide ECC in gauging community consensus and feed into the ECC/ZF process. We aim to be as inclusive as possible, extending participation beyond those active on the Forum or in the Zcash Community Advisory Panel (ZCAP).
Further details on ZAC’s formation will be shared later this week. ECC is devoted to a transparent and inclusive decision-making process that respects the varied perspectives within the Zcash community. Our approach is designed to ensure that decisions about the development fund’s future are democratic and representative of the Zcash ecosystem’s collective will, while acknowledging the ongoing need for governance enhancements. We eagerly anticipate collaborating with the community during this pivotal time.
-Paul Brigner
but equally as important, the right man for the right job 
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