Marc Kovar
Executive Vice-President
Summer’s end: Back to school,
football season...and Election Day
Fall upon us means kids back to school, a new football sea-
son and another Election Day looming. While some may call it
“the silly season,” for the 33,000-plus members of the NJ State
PBA, the outcomes of these elections are anything but silly.
Here we go again. I am beating my drum. Hard! I hate to be
repetitive, but with the Labor Day weekend behind us, it is of-
ficially election season. We’ve all seen time and again how the
decisions made by those elected to office can impact our lives
and those of our family members. We don’t have to look any
further than the damage done by Chris Christie during the past
eight years. We all learned the hard way that elections have
consequences. As a group, we endorsed Christie’s opponent
in 2009, but, unfortunately, that endorsement did not carry
through to all our members. It is common knowledge that law
enforcement helped elect Christie governor in 2009, and even
after he lied to our members, there was still a rogue group of
law enforcement that supported him in his reelection in 2013.
Now, even after years of Christie using his bully pulpit to at-
tack our pensions, our health care and our very reputations, the
PBA’s voice and our impact across New Jersey’s political land-
scape are simply inescapable. The rhetoric and action coming
from the governor’s office have served only to strengthen our
unity and amplify our collective voice. Those running for office
know that when our members stand together with one unified
voice, we exact results.
During the past few election cycles, whether in local races for
the state legislature or U.S. congressional races, we have made
our presence known across the state. We have knocked on
doors, made phone calls and worked to make sure our friends
and neighbors know which candidates actually are on the side
of law enforcement.
We must continue to volunteer to knock on doors and make
phone calls on behalf of candidates that the NJSPBA has en-
dorsed. During the coming weeks, these efforts will be more
important than ever.
Recently, some politicians have been calling for an extension
of the 2-percent tax increase cap. which specifically targets law
enforcement. Gone are the days when politicians can claim
support and then work to hurt our members and their families
with no expectation of consequences. This is because we are
long past the time when it is acceptable for any of our members
to sit back and take a passive position when politicians who im-
pact our lives, and the lives of our families, are on the ballot.
Every year, politicians seek our support because they know
the importance of having law enforcement on their side. We
take our NJSPBA endorsements seriously, and so should all of
you. The NJSPBA is most effective when we speak with one col-
lective voice and when we stand together for those who respect
law enforcement and against people running for office who
want to raise money and their profiles from false claims of sup-
port while they work to harm us.
We will continue to fight in the press, in Trenton and across
the state, but we all need to continue to make our voices heard.
We all need to stand as one. Let’s continue to do what we have
done so well and make sure that the collective voice of our
33,000 members and their families are heard as one.
As always, we look forward to hearing from you in the com-
ing days, weeks and months.
And please join me in sending our prayers to our brothers
and sisters in Texas and Florida as they help residents recover
from the Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Let’s all do whatever we
can to help these officers and their families. d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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