NEBA President Steps Down

by Judith Rosen -- Publishers Weekly, 8/2/2004

After serving less than a year, Eric Wilska, co-owner of the Bookloft in Great Barrington, Mass., has resigned from his two-year appointment as president of the New England Booksellers Association, citing disagreements with the board over the role of the executive director. Allan Schmid, owner of Books Etc. in Portland and Falmouth, Maine, has been named to replace him for the term that expires in fall 2005.

Wilska's letter of resignation, which he submitted to the board and plans to send to the group's members, refers to a "climate of tension" surrounding issues, including "that the board has ceded more and more of its governing authority to the executive director over the years, to the detriment of a balanced organization."

Last week, the NEBA board sent out its own letter to members, announcing that Wilska had stepped down "due to philosophical differences with a majority of the board over governance issues, primarily dealing with the relationship between the executive director and the board."

The board was unanimous in choosing Schmid, who had been serving as the group's treasurer, to fill the president's position. "Yes, we've gone through a little transformation," Schmid said. "Everything is going forward, all the ideas that came out of our board." Executive director Rusty Drugan stressed that the leadership changes will not affect the fall trade show or the holiday catalogue. After the trade show, the board also plans to organize a strategic review of the association, something that Wilska had pushed for, given that NEBA's resources are now close to $1 million.