In the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ Annual Meeting last Saturday afternoon, current AAN members voted on 11 seats on the board of directors, electing a new President and Vice President, among other positions.

Stephen Leon of Metroland was elected President, following a two-year stint as Vice President. He replaces Kenneth Neill of The Memphis Flyer, who stays on the board as Immediate Past President. The previous occupant of that position, Boston Phoenix’s Clif Garboden, steps down after serving on the board for eight years.

“We’re going to miss Ken as president,” said AAN executive director Richard Karpel during the meeting. Neill promised to be “as cranky as Clif [Garboden] as Immediate Past President.”

Replacing Leon as Vice President is Mark Zusman of Willamette Week, who previously served on the board as Organization and Bylaws Chair. By long-standing AAN tradition, the Vice President is the next in line to the presidency.

Oklahoma Gazette’s Bill Bleakley was elected the new bylaws chair after stepping down from the one year remaining in his term as an at-large member. A new board member, Jeff Lawrence of Boston’s Weekly Dig, was elected to fill the at-large seat vacated by Bleakley.

Six of the seven remaining board seats were filled by incumbents running unopposed: Francis Zankowski of Colorado Springs Independent was elected Treasurer; Robby Robbins of the Santa Barbara Independent was elected Classified Advertising Chair; Carol Flagg was elected Display Advertising Chair; Patricia Calhoun was elected Editorial Chair; Tim Redmond was elected First Amendment Chair; and Mark Bartel of City Pages was elected to a two-year at-large seat.

Paul Curci of Philadelphia City Paper was elected Convention Chair, and will oversee coordination of next year’s AAN Convention in Philadelphia.