Although it is very early to do so (and far too early to start a real campaign), I am hereby declaring my candidacy for a fourth term as Vice President of the CC&GTCC.

The timing of all this has been precipitated by the recent actions of the artist known as “The Creeper” (some days national, some days just local), who spent the entire recent convention begging anyone who would listen to him for their votes. Most of the people with whom these conversations took place eventually wound up at our table, describing to me the inane “facts” that “The Creeper” was putting forth. Among these were variations on “Jay does nothing”, “the Vice President does nothing”, and “the current Board of Directors does nothing”. He has also obviously never bothered to read the Club’s by-laws (or had them read to him) and has produced an extensive list of responsibilities for the Club’s Vice President, including this one which I heard from many sources... “posting the Gaming Commission’s new chip lists, which I’ve had to do”.

The simple fact is that there are very few Club members who are familiar with the current Board of Directors, the history of the Club, or “The Creeper” himself, that would want him in any kind of leadership or representational capacity for the Club. There seem to be, though, at least several members who buy into his campaign position, which evidently is “I am not scared to shake your hand and say hello to you.” Most of us can remember that the last time he ran for office he managed to persuade 26 members to vote for him (cutting Wayne Thompson’s vote total to just 400), and it is certainly possible that he could do so again.

While I will not be starting an actual campaign at this point, I will tell you a little about myself. I’ve been a member of the CC&GTCC for 15 years, having joined in 1999 after many years of casually collecting chips and other memorabilia from my frequent trips to Las Vegas and, long ago, Atlantic City. I am an executive in the entertainment industry, having worked for Sony Pictures for a total of 34 years. I have served, and currently serve, on many executive committees, steering committees, operating committees, and task forces, and am completely familiar with working within groups and building consensus. I have three fantastic children (grown and out of the house), an amazing wife Debbie, and in my spare time I play a lot of golf and tennis. I am also one of the authors of The Chip Rack and work on it daily in a quest to maintain as reliable a value guide as possible.

I look forward to continuing to serve on your Board of Directors and, as always, I make myself available for comments and questions via phone calls or e-mails.