The member himself decides upon applying.
There would be 2 options upon signing up or applying
"for". or "against"
And if you really believe mods are some times neutral then create a third group
2 spots "for". 2 "against". 2 "neutral"
It wouldnt hurt to do that and certainly beats the current biased system.
and if they change their minds after they becomes mods, on your end you just have to make sure they are not allowed to be "for" the company while advertising information in the ibox or stickies that is "against" the company/stock
If they flip flop they can resign.
at that point if no spots exist on the other side, if they are all taken, they can send a msg to a moderator on that side to add information to the ibox (as it is today when all are mod spots are taken).
Admin just has to make sure they arent signed up on mod group "for" while using ibox/stickies to advertise "against". and if a mod was silly enough to attempt it i am sure an ihubber or two would notify you guys.
we are talking about a rare event though.
so this proposal certainly creates equality especially in comparison to the current system.