Charlie Schwartz hosts the NJ State PBA rally to announce its endorsement of Josh Gottheimer for Congress in July 2016. Gottheimer was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives from New Jersey’ s 5th District four months later.
A TALE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29
Sometimes, it’ s hard to see Charlie’ s passion. Those who know him best confirm that they have seen him smile. But if you look closely into those laser-focused eyes, you can almost see the wheels turning at warp speed. What do you think is going on under that shaved dome?
“ I’ m always watching,” Charlie reveals.“ Before I get into anything, I like to listen. There’ s nothing worse than when I hear people chime in with bad information or wrong information. It can spread like wildfire.”
The uniformula
To be convinced to vote Charlie on to the PFRS Trustee Board, perhaps it is best to hear from the person stood behind him through every hour and every minute he has given to PBA members. Kristin Schwartz represents one of the great attributes Charlie brings to his run for PFRS Trustee: Behind every candidate is the wife who reassures him that going the extra mile serves everybody best.
With such support, Charlie rarely limits his days to eight hours, 12 hours or even 16 hours. Colligan explains that he often calls Schwartz because he always answers. So vote for Charlie, because he will always be that needed and welcome voice on the other end of the line.
“ The more you know your craft, the more likely people are to ask for your help,” Charlie submits.“ When people call me, they know I’ m answering the phone. If not, I send a text that I will call you back right away. You call me, you get me.”
For another vote of confidence, perhaps it is best to hear from the person whose job it is to make sure that Charlie always answers the calls. Saddle River Captain Jason Cosgriff, also a Local 348 member, gets a daily dose of what drives Charlie.
“ I think it’ s a lot of knowledge, energy and passion,” Cosgriff believes.“ He wants to do the right thing for the members. He’ s got the foundation and knowledge, and he’ s got a passion about it.”
Colligan reminds members that they need to vote for the PBAendorsed candidate to the PFRS Board because Charlie will be a great link to work with Andreyev to bring the best pension service, support and information to the union. Andreyev sees it as a necessary and productive partnership.
“ First and foremost, it’ s important Charlie gets on the board to continue our philosophy that the members should get what they deserve in their pension,” Andreyev confirms.“ Charlie will be a good steward, a guy who can get us through to the next level.”
With a pension board that is always at risk of falling victim to the bias of being run by the state and reporting to the attorney general, the best reason to vote for Charlie is to bring his strong voice to the table. And so the ultimate vote of confidence in his ability comes from a PBA leader who has watched Charlie for a long time.
“ Charlie made it known when he was coming up that he wanted to know how everything ran,” Pellegrino recommends.“ For several years, he was always the guy in the back. Now, it’ s his time to move forward.” d
30 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JULY 2017