Let's take a look at this new arbitrator. I now know his real name and identity, which are not particularly relevant here.
What is relevant is his age - born November 1990, which means he was 15 when he first joined Wikipedia, and 17 when he became an administrator at his second attempt. An extraordinarily rapid rise to power, now a member of the Arbitration committee having just turned 21.
Joining in early 2006, he showed a desire to become an administrator immediately, saying to Flo Knight "I was brought up in a rough part of Glasgow, Scotland I feel my knowledge of the Scottish delinquent personality would be of use as a 'Hall Monitor'
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=43600120, and then at editor review - "I think I may want Adminship, but I am worried I have been with Wikipedia for too short a time despite the fact that
Adminship is the one thing I want most on Wikipedia! Please leave comments or advice about how I am doing, and whether or not I should go for Adminship. Also, if I did go for it would you honestly vote for me or not??? Thank you very much."
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=69211753Shows commendable dedication to the cause by his 'vandal fighting'. "Your new Wikipediaholic Score First of all, how did your score climb SO QUICKLY? How is it even possible to score that high if you're not Jimbo Wales? By the way, you made some errors in the ranking, like labelling 2nd as 2st, 3rd as 3nd, and 4th as 4rd. I have fixed them. AstroHurricane001 22:11, 18 October 2006 (UTC)"
Also shows commendable ambition in his attempts to climb the ranks.
December 27, 2006: adds himself
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=95877655 to the standby list for CheckUser clerks. Not yet granted.
December 29, 2006: requests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Med...ons/Anthony_cfc to join the mediation committee. Denied.
December 31, 2006: requests
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?titl...93&oldid=503873 OTRS access. Not granted.
January 9, 2007: requests
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?titl...ev&oldid=509373 CheckUser access. Denied.
January 16, 2007: attempts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_tal...uest_for_Access to gain access to the Bot Approvals Group. Denied.
In February, his first application for RfA was turned down
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Req...hip/Anthony_cfc . The comments are highly intersesting. "An interesting note is that
every one of the powers he's applied to is one that Essjay holds; this seems almost like a form of wiki-stalking. In short, I think
Anthony cfc just wants any power he can possibly get, and that's never a good trait in administrators. I do not trust him to handle the tools properly. Ral315 (talk) 02:57, 9 February 2007 (UTC)"
Aso, in a bizarre request on another wiki in May 2007
http://wiki.editthis.info/Wiki/Special:Contributions/Shmm, he simultaneously joins and asks for administrator rights. He is turned down flat, although objects that "The fact I'm a Bureaucrat on a Wikimedia Foundation wiki, as well as the Developer for a private Wiki, surely seals the deal? --Shmm 17:26, 1 May 2007 (EDT)", adding "I have a sincere desire to protect this Wiki, as I have being protecting others of the Wikimedia Foundation --Shmm 15:17, 2 May 2007 (EDT)"
Is that true? Since that was before his second successful RfA, on what WMF wiki did he have Bureaucrat rights, in May 2007??
His user page talks about an interest in and knowledge of classical studies, but his main work on Wikipedia seems to have been 'gnoming'. His work on Good Articles is mostly minor changes to grammar (sometimes making it worse), or linking or applying templates or other inconsequential stuff. (I haven't checked that carefully, however, so take that with a grain of salt for now).
Is this the kind of arbitrator Wikipedia needs?
This post has been edited by Peter Damian: