I gave a great deal of thought before announcing my run for re-election to the office of Secretary of the CC&GTCC. Ultimately, it came down to two factors. First, the current BOD has started new initiatives that I feel it is important that I help see through to completion. Secondly, I have made so many new friends and have gained so much enjoyment from this hobby that I want to continue giving back to the Club.

There are a lot of issues that we as a Club have to deal with. We should never forget this is a hobby for all of us, but at the same time the BOD has a duty to see that the Club is run responsibly and keeps moving forward. I want to address the issues most people care about so everyone will know exactly where I stand. If there are other issues you want to know my position on please just ask.

Slabbing - My position has not wavered. Slabbing has no place in the hobby! I will continue to work to see that it never enters our hobby

Altered or Repaired Chips - I believe the greatest threat to our hobby is that of altered and repaired chips. I support the work of the Standards and Archives Committee, which has been charged with making recommendations to the BOD. This committee has listened to the membership via surveys handed out at the Convention and distributed via the magazine.

Since none of us are the final owners of the things we collect (unless we are planning on taking them with us) I believe that any item that has been altered or repaired or made to mimic a real item should be marked as such so that when the item returns to the market the buyer will not be deceived. I strongly believe that any person, who knowingly represents an item as “original” when it is not, should be expelled from the Club.

The Museum (Building Fund) - When the building fund was first set up I thought, as did many others, that the cart had been put before the horse. We were fundraising for something for which we had no plan in place for how to make it happen. I did however support the fundraising by making donations and continue to do so today. Now, with the Vision & Feasibility Committee’s diligent work, I know that the building will be a reality. A two day workshop, lead by the former Director of the Neon Museum, Sandra Harris with members of the Vision & Feasibility Committee, produced a rather extensive document that gives us the road map we need to make this a reality.

The Club’s 501(c) § (3) status – Next to our members, this is the Club’s most valuable asset and it must be protected! I have and I will continue to consider this status before making any decisions that might impact it. For those that may not know, by the Club having this tax status, donations to the Club are tax deductible for the donors. Without this status the reality of a museum would be almost impossible. This is particularly important if we want to attract wealthy donors and estates to fund the museum. It also allows anyone to donate all or part of their collection at any point and take the tax deduction. In fact we already have had some members make some generous donations to the Club. It is through this same vehicle that charities are able to raise such large sums.

Education – Our Charter and tax status mandate that we operate as an educational organization. So one of our core functions is to provide our members and the public with education regarding gaming and it’s history. This has always been one of my pet projects. I’ve worked closely with two educational directors on convention seminars. I’ve also spoken to other collectors about placing exhibits in libraries, at coin shows and other public places, any place that might start a dialog. I will continue to try to find avenues in which to educate the public as well as our membership.

Publicity – The Club has been so fortunate in the last few years to have Len Cipkins as our publicity director. With the loss of Len Cipkins, the Club has enormous shoes to fill. We’ve searched for almost a year to find a replacement. Len has shown us that good publicity is the best way we have of getting the Club’s name out, recruiting new members and educating the public. Solving this opening is an immediate need of the Club and I, along with all the BOD members have been working to find a solution. It would great to find another person with Len’s abilities, but that is a big task. We may have to look to using a committee of volunteers to work together to develop and execute a publicity program.

Magazine – The Club is very fortunate to have Allan Anderson as editor of our award- winning magazine. The BOD has been working with Allan to try to find ways to increase advertising revenue for the magazine. As one of the Club’s largest expenses we need to not only generate more ad revenue, but as Allan has been working on, getting the magazine out for public sale. Obviously a greater circulation creates more exposure, which attracts new members and additional ad revenue.

Corporate Memberships – I wholeheartedly support approval of the proposed Constitutional amendment that will be voted on in the spring. Among other things this amendment will give us the opportunity to recruit corporations as members. This will open a potential new source of revenue for the Club and maybe help us find the “golden angel” to be the major donor to make our museum a reality.

Membership – As a Club we have done a pretty good job of recruiting new members. One of the big issues we have to resolve is member retention. Several avenues have been tried and none have made even a dent in the percentage of dropped memberships. I can’t say I have an answer for this problem but I do know we must address this issue sooner rather than later. There is a way to increase our retention; we just have to find it.

For over seven years, I’ve made myself available to the membership, as Convention Program Chairman for several years, two years as Convention Co-chair and for the last 4 years as Secretary of the BOD. In addition I spend a large portion of my time volunteering at the Convention wherever help is needed. I enjoy it, I enjoy meeting like-minded collectors and I enjoy being involved.

In closing I would like to ask when it comes time to vote that you consider two things in addition to my positions. First the time and effort I have put forth on behalf of the Club and membership. And secondly something many people overlook is what President Skelton calls “institutional amnesia”. The BOD deals with so many issues we spend a lot of time trying to determine why a previous BOD took a certain action. We don’t know the history of a decision and past BOD minutes can only tell part of the story. I hope everyone will see the advantage and importance of continuity. With at least three new members coming on the Board I think this election makes experience and continuity even more important. In fact to solve the continuity problem a constitutional amendment is being introduced by a former BOD member to stagger the terms of BOD officers so that the Club is guaranteed to have no more than three new members on the BOD at a time. I think this is an amendment that most members will see as a positive.

Thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts. I ask for your support and your vote.

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