MEET THE CANDIDATE: Swickie Is Running For Special Council

ApeCoin DAO contributor and Special Council nominee, Swickie, is running to bring a fresh perspective as a creator and community builder to the board!

The election season of 2023 is in heating up at ApeCoin DAO, with 21 contributors officially running to replace Yat Siu or Alexis Ohanian on the DAO's Special Council this summer.

Among the candidates vying for a position on the ApeCoin DAO's Special Council is ApeCoin DAO contributor Swickie.

"Over two years ago I arrived, bright-eyed and energized by this new, exciting corner of the world where I quickly learned the potential of Blockchain as a means to empower and build alongside equally energized people,” Swickie wrote on her ApeCoin candidate page. “Every day since then I have worked in service of the web3 as a community builder by co-creating organizations and collectives committed to bringing together communities—from sports to the arts—most times self-funded to provide quality experiences that would push the space forward by uplifting creators in the web3 ecosystem and onboarding. Running for ApeCoin Special Council is an organic, logical continuation of my service to the community. The Special Council has built the foundation and now is the time to use their good work to grow."

To find out more about Swickie and what makes her the right $Ape for the job, the Bored Ape Gazette reached out to her for an interview. Check it out below:

1.How did you get into the ApeCoin DAO?

“Along with other BAYC, I was airdropped ApeCoin and was fascinated thinking about how $APE could be utilized in web3 and beyond. I was there in 2022 for the first burger bought with ApeCoin (https://twitter.com/byswickie/status/1512890955405271040?s=20) and it was there, at the Bored & Hungry launch, I was first approached by active Apecoin DAO members regarding IRL exposure and events and have since been approached multiple times prior to my announcement of candidacy for Special Council. I was community-building through Aped Collective, NFTBA, Space Dust and eventually, OtherBlock. Until this moment most of my conversations regarding the DAO existed on the back-end with various members until I realized that the challenges ahead not only included building infrastructure but required community involvement through education and awareness. I started actively contributing once I realized that there was a disconnect for communities, creators and builders. There is room for improvement and growth in crafting AIPs to actually offer value/benefit the ApeCoin community. Since then I’ve been on the forum every day, reading and participating as much as possible. A lot of my DAO conversations also happen with group chats and memberships like Ladies of BAYC. I love the different perspectives people bring to topics and subjects that are important for the DAO to move forward.”

2.In a sentence or two, why should the community vote for you?

“VALUE • IMPACT • EFFECTIVENESS • I bring a fresh perspective as a creator and community-builder to the ApeCoin DAO Special Council. Not only do I have the exact career experience working at a documentary fund foundation—proposal process and regulation—but I also possess the community-building experience to serve the vision of the DAO. True community building not only requires trust from the community but the larger brands, companies and projects who collaborate with the community as well. This in fact was the larger challenge - the ability to operate professionally with companies such as Yuga requires extreme planning and forethought on true demand and then fulfilling those community needs. Building infrastructure is just that without the demand. To have actual impact we need to consider: what is culture and where can we find it to convince innovators to come to the DAO? That is an environment I can help foster because it is exactly what I have been doing effectively (in larger scope) with my team for years.”

3.What would you like to accomplish if elected?

“To be perfectly clear, the Special Council has a very specific role. It is oversight of the Foundation, administering proposals by following DAO rules and serving the vision of the DAO. Special Council is accomplished if they have effectively and successfully protected the community and served the DAO’s vision. For legal purposes, it is crucial that the SC adheres to these duties. Understanding what the greater community needs from a supply and demand level in terms of platforms requires experience in building that very thing. I’ve done that many times over successfully and plenty of times had to keep regulations in mind while working with legal counsel. Beyond that, there are ways to encourage and foster environments for better communication, education and incentivizing innovators to join the DAO. It won’t be enough for the DAO to create infrastructure if no one is interested in participating. Finding ways to attract the right members with big ideas, creators, artists and innovators is critical.”

4. Where do you see the DAO a year from now?

“As it stands, the DAO faces the challenge of breaking the psychology of being BAYC-centric. The DAO is for everyone as long as they hold one $APE. The only sustainable way to accomplish this is to expand the community. Communication and education are needed. Incentive to build within the ApeCoin DAO is needed, and not just with the creators we have at the moment, but new ones from different communities. We need to be/go where ApeCoin is not yet and be ultra inclusive. The issue with the current culture of the DAO is very specific to those who speak on culture and vision - but do not necessarily represent the masses who are actually pushing the culture forward. In a year from now I hope to inspire the involvement of those who are “doers” without creating more human touch points which can be misconstrued as gatekeeping or “false culture setters” by first diversifying who’s involved now. My hope is that the DAO will have smoother and more effective governance, expand the community with members who deeply care and are here for the long-term. We should be encouraging people at every level to use their specialties, skill sets and wheelhouses to be that PLUS in the DAO.”

5. What makes you different from the other candidates?

“I can do both. I am from a professional foundation environment and in a short time, have made a lot of impact on the community with collaborative ventures. Community-building at the level that my team has already built requires knowledge and experience with large scale collaborations with brands and projects that do require an understanding of true value propositions and legal regulations. This unique creator-builder perspective is not currently represented in the Special Council and I believe it is crucial.”

6. Do you have anything else you’d like to add or say?

“We have such a rare opportunity to create and enact change in the course of collective action. I hope that everyone who is currently running will consider this, no matter what their election outcome. I’d also like to thank everybody who has been in my corner - and even those who are not. I’m here to help support their efforts in building the DAO. I’ve learned so much and their support has been invaluable. You know who you are.”

ApeCoin DAO Contributors who would like to find out more about Swickie’s campaign can reach out to him via Twitter @ byswickie

The window to vote in the ApeCoin DAO's first round of Special Council voting opens on June 15th, and $Ape holders will have until June 21st to cast their votes and support their preferred nominees. After the first round of voting, the top five nominees with the most votes will proceed to the second round of voting and officially become candidates. The DAO will then conduct one more election from June 22nd to 28th, during which the community will elect two Special Council members to replace Yat Siu and Alexis Ohanian on the board. Take a look at the full Election season timeline below:

The Bored Ape Gazette has reached out to all 21 candidates for an interview and will be publishing them as they reply. Stay tuned for updates!