It is with great pleasure and anticipation I offer my services once again for Club Treasurer and ask for your support.

Its been 3 full years now since I have taken office as your current Treasurer and look forward to another term if I am so elected.

For those who don’t already know me, I am better known as Doug "The Cigarman" Smith. I have been a member of this
amazing organization for nearly 13 years now and have been collecting chips for about 18 years. I decided to
become a Life member about 4 years ago which is something I really should have done several years earlier.

The main reason I originally ran for club Treasurer was because I saw a great future for this hobby and still do.
Chipping for me is more than just the chips, its about forging friendships. I have been a collector all my life and have been involved with many types of collectables thru the years.
From record albums to stamps, coins and sportscards I have collected it all. However I personally have experienced nothing before like I have since joining the . The members of this club are simply incredible. No where else have I felt the true generosity and willingness to help the fellow collector as I have seen among "Chippers".

While I started my chipping like so many others by collecting everything I could get my hands on, I have now limited my passion for collecting to several main areas. I now collect mostly Vintage Vegas, Samples, Foreigns and "T" Molds.

Although born in Brooklyn NY, I have lived in Houston for nearly 30 years and consider myself a true Texan and lifetime Longhorn Fan. I am currently a Senior Project Controls Manager with a large Engineering & Construction firm based in Houston and have both an educational and professional background working with finances. I hold degrees in Finance and Management and feel that my qualifications have well benefited our club. I have also served as Vice President of the Greater Houston Chip Collectors Club for the past 8 years. I want to be able to share in our clubs success and look forward to making many more new friendships along the way.

Below are my thoughts and stands on several of the clubs most pressing topics:

Slabbing - I have always been against slabbing and always will be. Although I have not signed the anti-slabbing
pledge or am a member of the club, I do support what the club stands for. As mentioned in some of my previous
posts, I think that slabbing has been detrimental to other collectables. I honestly believe it was a contributing
factor in the downfall of sportscard collection and I don't want to see the same outcome in this great hobby of
ours. While I will continue to support anti-slabbing agendas, I also believe that every person has the right to do
whatever they wish with his or her own chips.

MOGH - I have always been a supporter of the Building Fund and now the MOGH and truly hope to see it become a reality
in the not too distant future. I have tried to raise money and attention for the MOGH on numerous occasions and
want to thank everyone who supports this project as I do for their continued donations and efforts as well as the current MOGH BOD who is in my opinion doing an outstanding job moving us in the right direction.

Altered & Repaired chips - Contrary to what some people might assume from some of my previous posts, I am completely
against altered and especially repaired chips. While I feel that the Marbleized Brass Cores don't fall into the same
category or fixing a hole, I understand the concern with repaired chips and their life in the aftermarket. I Strongly
believe that anyone who is caught representing altered or repaired chips without full disclosure should be expelled
from the club. I honestly believe that the real problem is not so much the people fixing the chips as it is the people
submitting the chips to be fixed. These chip repairers are not out there advertising and looking for customers, the
customers come looking for them. If people really want the fixing of chips to stop, the demand must as well.
My belief is that if you stop those that are currently fixing chips you gain nothing as there will be plenty of others right behind them willing to fill their shoes. I can honestly say that I do not own or plan to own any repaired chip (Marbleized Brass excluded).

The future of our club - I believe that future of chip collecting is a bright one. However in order to keep it alive
we need new membership. I have always been open to all new ideas regarding boosting membership
and encourage participation in this effort. I feel that new ideas and an open mind are some
of the keys to the survival of our club. Education of current, new and potential members is a must. The more
knowledge we have as a group the better off we will be. I think great strides have been made if this effort over
the past few years and want to thank my fellow BOD members, past BOD members and all the volunteers
for making that possible. The club has gone thru some financial difficulty and thru the efforts of an aggressive
look at all club expenditures and fundraising efforts, I feel we are well on our way back into the black.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the 2010 convention !!!!!!!!!!