I've noticed our Issue Tracker board has WAY more pink fields that green or gray. There are issues out there floating around that our few (OK, one) dev can hope to keep up with. I've contributed more than my fair share to the Issue Tracker, the VAST majority of them Feature Requests, knowing full well most will never see the light of day...

I use a lot of open-source software and since developers of open-source are motivated by feedback and feature requests, i make a lot of feature requests -- esp. for ModPlug, probably my most consistently used program. However, i notice we never get any feedback from the devs of these softwares as to whether or not they themselves would like to see this feature (unless they actually have the time to implement an easy one)...

An extra rating would give this feedback to the user and provide some hope (or tamp it) for seeing this feature request in the future.
When a FR is made, the "issue" is shown as New, the slot that is filled now. If, however, the first dev who reads it (probably the primary one with the most time) will decide after quick consideration if he intends to implement it, if not now then later, he leaves a remark in the notes for other users and devs to see, to let others know briefly the problems he foresees for its implementation and whether or not he thinks its desirable and/or "easily" feasible (based on his skill).
If that dev doesn't intend to implement the FR himself, he moves it to the new rating slot (we'll call it "Standby"), which basically means he's read it, thought about, but doesn't intend to take action towards its implementation. Standby is a demotion, but not a complete rebuke.
If another or a future dev sees the FR, and he DOES intend to attempt to code its implementation, he leaves a note and moves it out of the slot to "Assigned," letting users know he's considered it and will take up its implementation within a reasonable amount of time. IOW, users can hope to see it "soon".
No deadlines ever need to be given, and no progress reports should be expected. But this new ranking will allow users to better track their FRs, and know that they're not being ignored or if they've been currently refuted. If a user's FR is found to remain in the New (pink) slot without any response from the devs, he can assume the devs have not read it or are thinking about its implementation. If there is a response in the New slot, that means at least one dev can and at some point will assemble its code. Once it's "Assigned", a dev is actively (though not necessarily continually) working on its addition into the program. If on the other hand, the FR is put into "Standby", the current roster of devs do not intend to implement the future, desirable or not, with the understanding that the FR is not being shut off, but a future dev may pick it up (in which case they'll move it to the "Assigned" slot).

This entire Issue Tracker request is designed to let users know that their FRs have some bearing on the direction of openMPT's development, and that they're not being ignored, a sure way to diminish the user pool for a piece of open software. At the same time, devs don't need any added pressure on what amounts to a hobby, an activity for which they receive no remuneration and probably only pursue because they feel like they're making somebody else's hobby a little easier. By allowing users to know where their FRs stand in the forethoughts of the devs, there can be a marked improvement in the communication and respect between the users and the devs (too often a master-subordinate relationship).