NJ Cops Nov18 | Page 75

Union County gives fond farewell to Manny Corte The Union County Conference came together for an evening of celebrat- ing the esteemed career of longtime Union County Local 73 member Manuel “Manny” Corte on Nov 1. NJ State PBA Locals that attended Manny Corte’s re- tirement party — held at the Galloping Hill Golf Course Red Knot restaurant in Kenilworth — included Union County Police Local 73, Cranford Local 52, Eliz- abeth Local 4, Mountainside Local 126, New Providence Local 132, Summit Local 55, Union County Sheriff’s Officers Local 108, Union Township Local 69, Westfield Local 90, Scotch Plains Local 87 and Re- tired Officers Local 600. Many members, including NJSPBA Ex- ecutive President Pat Colligan and NJSP- BA Labor Relations Representative Mike Freeman, took turns paying tribute to Corte’s 32-year career. During that time, he held multiple titles including Union County SWAT team member, FBI hostage negotiator, Local 73 State Delegate, NJSP- BA sergeant-at-arms, trustee and 7th vice president, state judiciary board member and state awards committee member – just to name a few. “I’ve known Manny since before he was a cop. He was the best guy you would ever want to meet,” Freeman said as he shared his friendship with and admira- tion for the PBA veteran. “He kept the peace and knew how to handle people. If you ever needed anything, Manny never said no.” Local 73 Financial Secretary Peter Wengerter also presented Corte with a PBA Lifetime Gold Card. Corte quickly became a mentor for Wengerter on the job when he nominated Wengerter to the Manny Corte with Summit Local 55 State Dele- gate and State Labor Relations Representative Mike Freeman position of financial secretary after only one year of working with the Local. “Manny took me under his wing and showed me the ins and outs of the PBA scene,” Wengerter said. “It was easy to see early on that Manny was well respected by not only everyone in the department, but by members of all agencies in the county and state.” Members were happy to be a part of Corte’s sendoff and honor the PBA mem- ber who has accomplished so much in his long career of steadfast service. Liberty Safes of New Jersey 69 US Highway 130 North Bordentown, NJ 08505 609-379-6409 1215 Route 73 North Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 856-222-9904 WWW.LIBERTYSAFESNJ.COM Police, Fire, EMS and Military Factory Rebates Ask Us About Additional In-Store Incentives for PBA Members www.njcopsmagazine.com ■ NOVEMBER 2018 75