First and foremost I want to thank Halcyon for the opportunity to speak candidly about this very important issue. Though I realize it is unrealistic to compare this selection process to something as prestigious as a Presidential election, it still serves a very important purpose for the community. It is my firm belief that moderators set the tone and mood for the forum they represent. The person chosen must be willing to serve the community in a way that radiates the spirit of the forum and spirit of the game.
Moderation has to be one of the most thankless and most challenging positions on the internet. Like Belle said it opens yourself up to all kinds of unsolicited criticism of possibly every decision you make. It is not wise to tread into this territory without fulling understanding what a position of authority entails and what one might possibly have to weather should people become unhappy with a decision you make. Having thick skin becomes a requirement because chances are someone somewhere will be unhappy with something you did and it will be talked about somewhere (possibly somewhere that can not be censored or edited).
A moderator's job is to enforce the rules not enforce opinions. That means if someone posts something that you might not agree with, it will fall on you to only hold it up to the guidelines of the forums and not against your opinion of what may or may not be right and/or appropriate. Impartiality goes hand and hand with moderation. One must be able to look objectively at every single thing posted and only compare it to rules and guidelines. It's also never wise to moderate anything you have emotional attachment to because it can greatly increase the risks is enforcing biases over rules. The person selected I would hope would be someone who can detach themselves from emotional attachment of controversial opinions or topics and look at each thing with a blank canvas while only acting when actual policy comes into play.
I seldom believe this philosophy but in this case I wholeheartedly believe motivation matters. A person should really only be applying if they have the best intentions at heart for the community. A moderator position is not about status and is not about how to gain the most benefits with the least amount of effort. It is about being an ambassador to the community and what it represents. When a person applies for a job such at this it makes them a big target for everyone, it shines the spotlight onto them. When the attention is on someone it can become easy to be corrupted and very easy to wanting to resist making unpopular yet necessary decisions. A person who applies should want to help the community not help themselves. A lot of time and work goes into moderation, I know first hand from past experiences it is not all about riding Fantasyland rides wearing pink mouse ears. If a person is not willing to take the job seriously, they should bow out and let someone who will do it and do it well.
Past behavior should be taken into account. It would be a disservice to the community to put someone prone to drama and confrontation in a position where their impartiality could be tested. Passion is a good thing it can lead to many fantastic accomplishments but a forum moderator position may not be the best place for passion. A forum moderator is a community member everyone should for for support, guidance, help, and concerns. When you have someone who could potentially ostracize members or put members in a position of no confidence, it alienates people. The best possible solution would be to consider only those who have proven to be helpful, upbeat, and calculated. You never want to be in a position where you truly need help with what ever reason and the only person available to assist is someone prone to mood-swings, grudges, rants, and condescending demeanors. How someone acts in the past shows what they could act like in the future, from past experience I've noticed people very rarely change, just settings do.
I realize this point many may not agree with and thats perfectly fine, but I believe experience matters. There are many opportunities throughout life to learn and grow. I do not believe being in a position of authority that effects others is a good setting for one to learn and experiment (we all saw how that went with Kevin but I digress). A person with prior experience in working with people, managing, or even moderating other forums typically has a greater chance of knowing the ins and outs of moderating and already has an established idea of how a forum should be run and the best way to manage conflict. Its always a good idea to give yourself the best chance at success by utilizing people who already know the best approaches keeping the peace. I do believe there is always room for people grow and learn how to do new things, but i also believe it should be a progression over several steps that does not involve being thrown into the lion's den so to speak.
With the above point I would like to say also, age doesn't matter, but maturity does. It really comes back to the ability to be impartial and the ability to not get involved, if someone can manage their emotions and do whats best for the community without a bias I don't see why it would matter how young or old a person is.
I do however feel involvement in the community does matter. Having a person heavily involved in drama and in the game has its obvious cons. It is typically never a good idea to put a person in a position of authority when they already have a pre-established reputation of getting into conflicts with other people. Many people find it challenging to separate personal from professional. It can also take many years to develop those skills but a forum moderator position is not the place to develop and learn it is the place to enforce the rules, help members when needed, and strive to keep the community an upbeat and pleasant place to socialize and have fun. By the same coin members who have the habit of being helpful, kind, considerate, and caring could potentially be good choices for a moderator, it ultimately depends on what the powers that be that run this site/game decide.
Regardless who is picked I know the powers that be will choose someone who will do the job well, not someone that is necessarily well liked or passionate. This job is not about status it is about structure, organization and dedication.
Just my opinion...