Can ANA members ever be happy?

It is almost a year before ballots go into the mail for the next American Numismatic Association election around June 1, 2011.

Already it looks like there will be a contested race for the vice president’s chair.

Walter Ostromecki, a California hobbyist has made his intentions publicly known and another sitting governor, Wendell Wolka of Indiana, is being a little more low key, though at the Numismatic Literary Guild Bash Aug. 12 between jokes on his PowerPoint, he flashed “I’m running” on the screen twice.

With the ANA budget coming under control and the working out of its legal difficulties continuing, you might expect that next year’s election might be a low key affair.

It could be. Then again, maybe not.

Why? Even collectors seem to be in an ornery mood, perhaps fed by the bad economy, or perhaps now convinced that being ornery is the only way things get done in America.

District reps are still complaining about ANA club dues, even though the board of governors passed a motion to offer a stripped down version at $15 a year, down from the $75 full-service amount.

Now while it is important that board decisions be made with full input from everybody, getting tied up on an issue of club dues is either an indication that all the major problems are solved and we are looking at the secondary issues, or that membership is so restive that no action will satisfy sufficiently to be considered accomplished.

Which is it?

We will have to wait until March and the full list of board nominations to see.