Feb. 15, 2008

Balloting for the 2008 BMW CCA national election is complete and the results are in. Bruce Hazard, running unopposed, is the new BMW CCA President-Elect. Incumbent Executive Vice President Mark Jon Calabrese won his re-election bid over Leonard Mueller.

Mark Doran will be the next South Central Region Vice President, finishing ahead of J.R. Schneider. John Sullivan, running unopposed, was re-elected as North Atlantic Region Vice President.

Turnout for this election was significantly higher than those of recent years. In the race for Executive Vice President, for example, a total of 3,451 votes were cast, a 15 percent increase over the number of votes in the contested EVP election two years ago. Even more dramatic was the 48 percent increase in votes cast in this year's race for the South Central Region Vice President position over the same race two years ago.

New President: Bruce Hazard
Bruce Hazard has served as BMW CCA Secretary since 2005 and will be taking over from Scott Blazey, who has served for two terms as President following three years as North Central Region Vice President. Club bylaws cap the presidency at two terms; other board offices have no current term limits.

Upon assuming the duties as President in March, Bruce will vacate the Secretary's position. At that time, the Board of Directors will begin the process of selecting and appointing a club member to fill the remaining year of Bruce's term as Club Secretary. Members who wish to be considered for the appointment should contact their regional Vice President or Frank Patek, BMW CCA Executive Director.

Executive VP race
Mark Jon Calabrese has served on the Board continuously since 1998, with two terms as South Central Region Vice President before being elected Executive Vice President in 2002. Upon the untimely death of Club President Michel Potheau, Mark Jon served as President until 2004, when he again ran for and won the Executive Vice President position, repeating that feat in 2006 and now in 2008. Leonard Mueller, who is currently the North Central Region Vice President, finished second in the race. Len will stay on the board, with a year remaining in his second term as RVP.

South Central Region race
Mark Doran is a newcomer to the board. The new South Central Region Vice President-Elect is a long-time member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter and will fill the position currently held by fellow Rocky Mountain Chapter member Fred Iacino, who has served on the Board since 2002. Coming in second was J.R. Schneider, who served as the club's Oktoberfest Coordinator for many years.

North Atlantic Region uncontested
John Sullivan will be starting his second term as North Atlantic Region Vice President. He was first elected in 2006.

Blazey: “Winners will serve the club well”
"I want to thank and congratulate everyone who ran for the board in this election. The quality of candidates was outstanding," said Club President Scott Blazey. "I'm sure all of the winners will serve the club well. Those who ran but didn't win also exemplify the spirit of the BMW Car club and will continue to contribute because that's the kind of high-quality volunteers they are."

Blazey added, "Bruce Hazard has the dedication and skills that will make him an outstanding president. I welcome Mark Doran to the board and thank him for stepping up with his time and talent. He's filling the shoes of an awfully good RVP, Fred Iacino, who I thank for his service and help these past six years. John Sullivan has been a great RVP and will continue to serve his region well. Mark Jon Calabrese is as dedicated as they come, and I thank him for his hard work and support during the time I've served on the board.

“Even though Len Mueller didn't win his EVP bid, I'm glad he will still be on the board as the North Central Region VP. Len serves his region very well and has brought excellent skills and perspective to the Board. I thank J.R. Schneider for once again stepping forward to volunteer. It's unfortunate that there are only so many seats, but J.R. can take great pride in the enormous service he has given the Club in years past and, I suspect, will continue to do so."

The newly elected officers will be installed at the BMW CCA Annual Meeting, scheduled for March 8, 2008 at the BMW CCA National Office in Greenville, S.C.

The final results of the 2008 BMW CCA Election:

BMW CCA 2008 Election
President
Bruce Hazard                             3318

Executive Vice President
Mark Jon Calabrese                       2099
Len Mueller                              1352

South Central Region Vice President
Mark Doran                                381
JR Schneider                              243

North Atlantic Region Vice President
John Sullivan                             783