Grill the ANA candidates

Candidate announcements for next year’s American Numismatic Association election are appearing in the pages of Numismatic News.

Ballots will likely be mailed to members about the end of May 2013 and they will have about six weeks to make their choices and get the ballot back to the accounting firm that will be tabulating the result.

So far, there is no great controversy to fire up interest in the national collector organization and that is not necessarily a good thing.

Lack of interest might allow candidates to get just a little bit lazy, when they should be on their toes and working hard to point out to members what needs doing in the next two years.

Candidates need to tell us where they want to take the organization.

Yes, we have gotten through the firing of two executive directors and a big budget deficit has been eliminated since 2007.

Kudos for those achievements.

But questions like the future of the national conventions must be dealt with.

The World’s Fair of Money next year will start a three-year run in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont.

This was done as a cost-saving measure. Some members might be surprised to hear that, especially if they prefer a convention that moves around country.

The pros and cons need to be more clearly outlined for us.

With a balanced budget, why do we need cost cutting measures?

Well, how secure are future show revenues? Will as many dealers take tables as we get deeper into the Internet Age?

Will auction firms in future be willing to pay the large sums they have paid in the past for the rights to official auctions?

If they don’t, the current balanced budget will become just a pleasant memory.

What do the ANA’s prospective leaders see ahead?

I am sure that all ANA members would be very interested in learning as much as they can about these things.

Candidates should use the election as a means to get the word out. Members should grill the candidates with any questions on their minds.

That way we will all benefit.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."