NJ Cops | Page 12

LEGISLATIVE REPORT Politics and Governing is not a spectator sport The NJ State PBA has had a lot to say the past few years about the need for members to become engaged or re-engage in the political process. Practically speaking, an organization isn’t worth much if its members can’t be counted on to fight together for the causes and the people that control your day-to-day lives. But the call to ROB NIXON political action means a lot more than just showing up during elections. In fact, there are a number of things members can be doing every day to make a difference in the towns where you work and live and in the State Legislature before and after the votes in an election are counted. I can appreciate that some people are distrustful of the political process or simply don’t like to get involved in politics. But being involved should not be equated with being engaged with the governing process. Being politically active means a person plays a role in the election of candidates for office or actively supports a political party. But being involved in the process of governing is a different, but no less critical, way of being engaged. Now is the time, well before elections are taking place, to decide whether you want to make a difference. The State PBA is looking for members who are willing to take part in that process now. If you want to be on the front lines of an election to support or oppose a legislator who will decide whether you have a decent pension, health benefits and the right to collectively bargain a contract, then PBA President Pat Colligan is encouraging you to go to www.njspba.com and click on the “Election Volunteers” link. Serious decisions about how you do your job, as well as those “pension and payday” issues, are on the line in the next NJ State Legislative Session, so it is going to be vital that Republican and Democratic Legislators, and their leadership, know the PBA was in the streets and is a political force to be reckoned with come November. Campaigns need volunteers and candidates know who was there and who wasn’t during the fight. The sight of a team wearing PBA t-shirts delivering literature or answering the phones is going to mean more to a candidate than you know. However, not every member is going to be comfortable or have the time to knock on doors for a candidate, volunteer during a campaign or help to get voters out to the poll