I feel compelled to go a bit out on a limb and ask about something here instead of posting a new question, because of the context. Being a moderator has big elements of both customer service rep and cop, two of the most frustrating, thankless, and often abuse-laden jobs in the world. To handle such a grind, people in such fields need a place to growl and blow steam about it with complete freedom, no judgement, with others who know the background and can relate. My understanding is that site moderators always have their own site chat room where they can do just that, as well as consult with each other and such.
My understanding is also that the SX moderator chat room was completely inactive for a long time. Pearson and TildalWave opened it again a few months ago, but I don't know that it was used very much, considering that fact. To have value as a pressure release valve, a mod would need to be able to go there at any time and rag on for a while with other mods until they felt a bit better. I know nothing about T's specific reasons for quitting, but I do know he struggled with a back-log of irritation due to the arguments and lack of respect that come with mod duty, and his baffling lack of personal perfection. I had a persistent impression he didn't have adequate access to a place where he could just be angry without it causing repercussions. From a couple of fights I've had with him over my time here, I can say if he can do that, he calms down easily and has a notably generous spirit afterwards.
So I guess my point is, if our mods are going to be able to maintain the kind of close, careful watch TildalWave contributed to so much, I think they need that space.