I'm not a fan of committees, YankeeJim, being a survivor of communism.
There's the danger, in a "committee", that "gang mentality" might prevail; "old-timers" sticking together no matter what, and punishing the newcomers. Not saying that's what would happen here, but it's a rather common occurrence in forums.
I believe the best way to resolve this was already mentioned by Nivlac in that locked thread: a small team of 3 to 4 moderators, led by the top moderator, ideally Nivlac himself. (I trust the perceived obstacle of denying prizes to Nivlac et al. can be removed.)
PS: I've made no candidate speech for myself, in fact quite the opposite, expressly denying the idea I was lobbying on my own behalf. See the posted disclaimer.