ANA votes in seasoned leaders

The results of the American Numismatic Association board of governors election were announced online yesterday afternoon by Kim Kiick, executive director of the organization.

Two things seem apparent.

First, members voted in a seasoned leadership that is widely known to longtime members.

Second, the five candidates who failed to gain a seat on the board are less well known to the ANA membership generally, but the fact that they ran sets at least some of them up for success in a future election.

Not many board candidates win a seat on their first attempt and sometimes even their second.

Jeff Garrett won the presidency and Gary Adkins the vice presidency without opposition.

Of the 12 candidates who ran for the seven board seats, Col. Steve Ellsworth topped the field with 3,705 votes. He is a newcomer.

Ellsworth was followed by Dr. Donald H. Kagin with a tally of 3,451. Kagin had two terms of previous board service in 2003-2007.

Outgoing President Walter Ostromecki Jr. stays on the board as a governor with a total of 3,319.

Dr. Ralph Ross of Sugar Land, Texas, won re-election with 2,982 as did Greg Lyon of St. Louis, Mo. with 2,746 votes.

Thomas A. Mulvaney of Lexington, Ky., returns to the board. He had taken a seat upon the resignation of Mike Ellis early this year.

Paul Montgomery joins the board for the first time with 2,407 votes.

Though he failed to win a seat, Brian Hendelson of Bridgewater, N.J., with his 2,221 votes earn him what is often called the bridesmaid position. If any of the seven top winners cannot finish their term, he will be the one tapped to do so.

This was the stepping stone to the board taken by Mulvaney.

Christopher Marchase of Colorado Springs, Colo., received 2,006 votes, Oded Paz of Arco, Idaho got 1,950, Richard Jozefiak of Madison, Ala., had 1,872 and Steve D’Ippolito of Peyton, Colo., got 1,844 votes.

There were 20,343 ANA members eligible to vote, but only 5,424 exercised that right.

This figure is down from 5,542 who voted in 2013 and extends a declining trend line.

A small number voted electronically. The tally of these was 473 of the 5,424 votes cast. This number was also less than the 2013 total of 505.

To vote, individuals had to be at least 13 years of age and completed one year of membership by March 31, 2015.

Swearing in of the new board for their two-year terms will occur Aug. 14 at the banquet held during the World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont, Ill.

Congratulations and good luck to all.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2014 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."