City Nouns DAO has drifted from the decentralized principles under which Builder DAO issued its grant. This proposal outlines corrective steps to restore legitimacy, minimize reputational risk to Builder DAO, and request the return of unspent funds due to breached assumptions. Over 40% of votes come from sybil-linked founder wallets, and all council and treasury authority has been consolidated without DAO consent.
Builder DAO awarded 4 ETH based on City Nouns’ stated commitment to decentralization, community onboarding, and protocol-aligned governance. The proposal emphasized scaling city-based generative DAOs using Nouns Builder, onboarding new artists and local communities into Web3, and creating a repeatable, transparent, and participatory framework for city launches.
Instead, authority was consolidated in two founders in the removal of the 3rd founder without DAO vote or notice (see transaction), who then appointed all “chosen” council members without DAO input, retained discretionary veto power, and created sybil wallet clusters that suppress dissent through controlled governance.
No open onboarding process or transparent elections have occurred for new cities. In the funding request, Builder DAO was promised:
🗓️ May 22, 2025 – Nouns KC Launch (Global Pizza Day)
🚫 This has not been executed. Other cities have not had applications approved for launch. Instead of empowering communities through decentralized culture and governance, the current architecture replicates a system of top-down control, undermining the protocol’s ethos and Builder DAO’s values of credible neutrality and community-led scalability.
Two wallet clusters linked to founders cast over 40% of votes on recent proposals, suppressing dissent and skewing outcomes.
All four inaugural council signers were appointed directly by one DAO member, without nomination, vote, or community discussion. https://discord.com/channels/1379299049122828340/1379317358400634911/1382117991352893450
Founders control a multisig holding 10% of supply and can deploy 20% quarterly, creating de facto voting majority with no DAO oversight.
Founders retain unilateral veto power through custom logic and council multisig, with no expiration or override. https://nouns.build/dao/base/0xdf4f168ba41c88ab4d0f1e2117110600c7e44b6d/vote/8
The same appointed council controls the 5% grants wallet, allowing closed-door fund distribution.
Council members award themselves 1 CITY token quarterly without DAO ratification. https://nouns.build/dao/base/0xdf4f168ba41c88ab4d0f1e2117110600c7e44b6d/vote/8
Founders can resign and rejoin the council instantly, creating perpetual power retention.
Only pre-approved distributions by the council are allowed to proceed to DAO vote.
Critical updates (multisig edits, partner onboarding) are disclosed after-the-fact.
Public materials emphasize stability and founder discretion over community control.
Publish a Transparency Report detailing:
Replace all appointed Council members with verified Founder Shovel stewards.
The new Council shall consist of:
The original 12 wallets holding Founder Shovel NFTs (issued to the first 12 successful City Noun auction winners)
Individuals who:
Rebuild trust with community
Draft signer rotation & elections framework
Propose updated charter for ratification
Proposals 8 & 9 codified centralized power under the guise of structure. The DAO has been overtaken by founder appointees, opaque vetoes, and anti-DAO operations.
This proposal offers a concrete, restorative alternative — not just in funding accountability, but in realigning the DAO with its decentralized mission.
✅ A YES vote restores legitimacy, enfranchises token holders, and ensures that governance remains in the hands of the City Nouns community — not behind closed multisigs.
| ENS | Wallet Address | # CITY TOKENS | TX HASH | TOKEN ID | DETAILS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| oceanandsea.eth | 0x513d8f5d...f605d6 | 1 | 0xddd99334...fc1405af | 9 | Received from zameesco.eth on 6-12-2025 |
| n/a | 0x8b40159c...f19109EB | 1 | 0x4cca3594...8ad1fee | 36 | New wallet, received from zameesco.eth 06-09-2025 |
| n/a | 0xd6604926...43dCd108 | 1 | 0x7429e403...fc2e71a | 12 | Funded by zameesco.eth for token bid |
| juggerswap.eth | 0xa244e45a...2B27A8D | 2 | 0xf4c85640...f8567b21 | 46, 52 | Funded 0.05 ETH, outbid Mary |
| n/a | 0x0b288181...5419beb | 1 | 0xa20dd5e3...9179d50f | 55 | Previously owned zameesco.eth ENS |
| ENS | Wallet Address | # CITY TOKENS | TOKEN IDS | INFO | TX HASH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| zameesco.eth | 0x1ef49722...c2783130 | 9 | [8,13,14,38,42,43,44,48,49] | Founder-controlled | |
| Connor B | 0x910e6f25...9eB8c4F | 1 | [37] | Gifted by zameesco.eth 06-09-2025 | 0xaf887e...65d8bdd |
| ryanwright.eth | 0xa7c0a9df...881934e5 | 2 | [17,18] | Airdropped tokens via Proposal 1 |
Total controlled by founders without multisig tokens: 39%
No authority, powers, or permissions granted in Proposal 8 (Council Governance Framework) or Proposal 9 (Code of Ethics) shall be considered binding or applicable to this proposal, its implementation, or any DAO operations referenced herein.
Any attempt to use unexecuted powers from Props 8 & 9 to override, block, or reinterpret this corrective proposal will be considered invalid and non-compliant with DAO process.
This stipulation affirms the community’s right to override unratified centralizations and to pursue meaningful course correction in line with the protocol’s founding values.