Elections for GAMA officers and open board seats were held at Origins in Columbus, Ohio, and everything old was new again, at the top of the ticket at least, as long-time organization president Rick Loomis of Flying Buffalo returned to his former office after a two year lay-off.  The runner-up, retailer Marcus King (Titan Games), was elected Vice-President (think about it -- President George W. Bush, and Vice-President John Kerry).  Newcomer Tony Listrom of Fleet Games was elected treasurer.  And Brian Dalrymple was re-elected secretary. 

 

Retailer Aaron Witten was elected as a director-at-large, and Phil Lacefield was re-elected.  Directors Will Niebling, Mike Stackpole, Stan Sord, and Mondo Vega will continue their terms.    

 

We were able to reach director Phil Lacefield at Origins to ask him his reaction to the election results.  'I believe that the political turmoil and bad feelings of the past couple years are really starting to boil down,' he said, 'allowing the board and staff of GAMA to get back to work making the organization and the shows all the better.  We have a fantastic new board with a fine mix of experience and energy, our folks in the trenches are working hard and fast, and as of an hour ago Origins attendance was up 15% overall from last year despite the rough economy of the game industry today.  I for one look forward to the next two years of hard work and excellent results'