again, you are confusing the message and the messenger, so to speak.
everyone wants to know clearly (transparently) according to what rule(s) the devices were allocated.
no matter how you made up the rule(s), if the rule(s) is (are) that 1st of all each member of the council should get a device, no matter how you try to justify the rule, it is simply not going to fly.
if on the other hand the allocation of the devices is based on the sum of

• number of posts in IRC meetings
• number of applications (versions) tested
• number of wiki topics edited

each possibly weighted, this is objectively quantifiable.
of course there are going to be ppl complaining that if they had known about it, they would have made more comments in the IRC meetings, tested more apps, edited more wikis aso, but nobody is going to question how you came up with the rule.

to the issue at hand, answers of the council to the criticism... having each member answering more or less independently on various locations is turning it into a personal fight.
1st rule: if the council is questioned, no single member of the council replies, even if the attack is personal.
sounds like Public Relation talk?
that's what it is alright.
you need to realize that the council is seen as an authority and thus has to show authority, even if it hasn't any.
you is a figure of speech here, of course.

1 council = 1 voice.
and this definitely shouldn't be the 1st one hitting the Submit Reply button

rather being silent and letting the doubt linger one is a fool then talking all along and proving onself a fool...