NJ Cops July18 | Page 4

The President ’ s Message

NEW JERSEY STATE POLICEMEN ’ S BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
PATRICK COLLIGAN State President
MARC KOVAR Executive Vice President
Peter Andreyev 1st Vice President Henry Werner 2nd Vice President Michael Pellegrino 3rd Vice President Mark Aurigemma 4th Vice President Eugene Dello 5th Vice President Richard Kott 6th Vice President Frederick Ludd 7th Vice President Luke Sciallo 8th Vice President Frank P . Cipully 9th Vice President Ed Carattini , Jr . 10th Vice President Michael Freeman 11th Vice President Bryan Flammia 12th Vice President
Michael Kaniuk Financial Secretary Margaret Hammond Recording Secretary John Monsees Treasurer
Robert Ormezzano Trustee Terrance Benson , Sr . Trustee Rodney Furby Trustee Charles Schwartz Trustee Patrick Moran Trustee Joseph Macones Trustee
Michael Tardio Trustee
Michael Heller Sergeant-at-Arms Keith Curry Sergeant-at-Arms Christopher Ricciotti Sergeant-at-Arms John Granahan Sergeant-at-Arms Andrew Pacucci Sergeant-at-Arms Joseph Nigro Sergeant-at-Arms Mark Piercy Sergeant-at-Arms Christopher Ebert Sergeant-at-Arms
Brian Brownlie Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Palmentieri Sergeant-at-Arms Stephen Warren Sergeant-at-Arms
4 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JULY 2018 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ OCTOBER 2016

Remembering Bobby Smith and matters related to PFRS

Thank you , George

Many of our members move on to new careers following retirement . I ’ m not sure that anyone leaves this career knowing exactly what the future holds . I ’ m not sure that when George O ’ Brien left the Clifton Police Department in 1994 that he ever expected to complete another 24 years serving the NJ State PBA .
Patrick When I became State President in 2014 , I got into the habit of arriving
Colligan well before the office opens to catch up on emails and whatever was on my desk from the day before . Sometimes , I ’ m there very early , but
I can count on two hands the very rare days that I beat George O ’ Brien to the office . I learned very quickly that I ’ d be sleep-deprived if I wanted to get to the office earlier than George on a regular basis .
So we know he ’ s an early riser . But we should also talk about his work ethic . Whenever I asked George for something , or sent him an email during off-hours , the information was usually on my desk shortly after my request . There aren ’ t many things we can count on in life , but setting your clock to George was certainly one of them .
And in the current labor union environment , we can agree that there has been a huge attack on our ability to collectively bargain , thanks largely to the last administration in New Jersey . Despite that , the annual NJ State PBA Collective Bargaining Seminar that George conceived in 1986 continues to set attendance records that were unthinkable even 10 years ago . The seminar has remained relevant , and I have no doubt that it has helped countless PBA Locals get a leg up in their contract negotiations .
JOB WELL DONE , George . Thank you for your service to the citizens of Clifton , and thank you on behalf of the tens of thousands of our members that you have graciously assisted during the past 24 years . I will miss seeing your truck in the lot every morning . Enjoy retirement !
The seat in George ’ s office is not empty . Our new Collective Bargaining Coordinator is Michael Freeman from Summit Local 55 . The office hasn ’ t missed a beat , and we are looking forward to working with Michael .
On another note , Senate Bill 5 now has the governor ’ s signature and has become law . Now the hard work to run PFRS independent from state control begins . We have a tight timeline , and I ’ m looking forward to the future of our pension with us at the helm . Needless to say , we will be covering the progress as we move forward .
In the meantime , please take the time to enjoy the summer . Most of all , STAY SAFE ! �