Last time I checked merit records are public - so what exactly is the issue here? If a merit source were to "abuse" their power it won't take long until the community calls them out for it. Besides that, what's the worst a campaign manager could do by being a merit source? Rank up business accounts for their clients? lol.
Not more than any campaign participant if we follow this logic... Any source could merit bomb a manager in exchange of a good campaign position/payrate.
I could not agree more with Hhampuz and paid2. And, of course, with all the others which expressed same thoughts. But I think the parts I quoted above are explaining the situation in best possible way.
Other than that, even if a campaign manager (icopress in this case) would actually misuse his Merit Source "powers" (assuming that his application will be approved), then he can also be demoted by theymos. There were many cases in the past, when other Merit Sources lost their status, for various reasons. The process of being "promoted" to Merit source is not irreversible and all Merit sources are aware of this. As a consequence, all which act in good faith are doing their best to preserve their status and use their "powers" in the way they were meant to: to help the forum, to help users deserving to rank up to actually achieve this, to highlight quality posts, to appreciate the ones which are good forum contributors by sending them merits.
I am sure that if icopress' application will be approved he will do a very good job in this new position, same as he did a very good job in anything else he did on this forum for years.
do you know the leading receiver of merits from icopress.
that leader got 256 merits.
number 3 merit reception was only 82.