Galloway Wins ASTA Presidency

WASHINGTON -- Joseph Galloway, ASTA vice president and owner of Houston-based Trans-Continental Travel, easily won the Society's election for president, claiming 50.3% of the vote and defeating opponents Gerry Jung and Bernice Rosmarin.

Richard Copland, owner of Bronx, N.Y.-based Hillside Travel, took 49.8% of the vote to become vice president, overcoming challenges by Area 3 director Elaine Ackerman of Yonkers, N.Y.-based Caprice Travel and former Area 2 director Ada Brown of Seaside Travel in Long Beach, Calif.

Area 8 director Kathryn Sudeikis of All About Travel in Overland Park, Kan., decidedly won the election for secretary, garnering 74.4% of the vote to defeat Area 6 director Jay Smith of Nashville, Tenn.-based Jay Smith Travel.

Area 11 director Eric Ardolino, owner of Wallingford, Conn.-based A&S Travel, was automatically elected treasurer in July because he was unopposed.

Galloway said, "This is a very interesting time for the agent community. Customer demand for our services has never seemed stronger. The problems we have to address now concern how we are going to get paid for these services."

Copland, a former ASTA treasurer who lost a run for a second term in 1996, said he was "excited" to make a comeback. "One thing I can tell you is having done both in the last two years, it is much better to win than to lose," he said.

Turnout for the election was low, with ballots cast by about one-third of the 9,800 eligible ASTA voters, down from a 48% turnout in the last national election, in 1996.

Jung, the current secretary who had petitioned to run for president, wound up with 21.0% of the vote. He said agent confusion over the nominating process contributed to the low turnout. "A lot of agents had thrown their ballots away because they thought by signing [my] petition, they had already voted," Jung said.

Brown, who petitioned to run for vice president and received 35.4% of the vote, said she got a similar response. "I called a lot of people who were not going to vote at all [because they signed her petition to run] but only did because I called them," said Brown. "If we hadn't called them, imagine what the turnout would have been."

Both Jung and Brown said they would consider heading committees if asked but had no plans to run for national office two years from now.

Ackerman, who received 14.7% of the vote, said, "I don't care that I lost. What gets me is so few members voted. Maybe it was because the candidates weren't fighting with each other. Maybe the voters needed a little more excitement." When asked if she would run in 2000, Ackerman replied, "Why not?"

Rosmarin, a former vice president who lost a bid for president in 1996, said she was "disappointed" that she got 28.7% of the presidential vote and doubts she would run again in 2000. "The election process has to be looked at," Rosmarin said. "There isn't any way to reach the membership and have them hear what you have to say."

Rosmarin also chided Galloway for attending "only one candidates' forum. He literally bought the election with ads." Galloway said, "I don't think you can buy an election." He said advertising in trade papers was more cost-effective than candidates' nights because "we get precious few" free air tickets to fly to them and such meetings often have a "small turnout."

Copland, the vice president-elect, said he will urge ASTA to hire an outside Washington lobbyist and will work to establish a better dialogue with suppliers.

Sudeikis, the incoming secretary, said, "The challenges are no less daunting as we move to a new administration. But this is a new team that is going to work really hard to do what the membership says it wants, which is getting our message across to suppliers and consumers."

Changes In Society's Bylaws OKd WASHINGTON -- ASTA agents overwhelmingly voted in favor of bylaw revisions intended to ensure that elected officers have some experience in the Society before assuming their positions. The revisions are effective immediately.

In another change, ASTA agents voted to expand the association's cruise-only membership category to include other types of agencies that don't require airline appointments.

The revisions that affect elected officers include the following: