34
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2014
PFRS Trustee for the past five years and Chairman of the PFRS
Board the past two years. After consulting with Bennett, Hall saw
a brother with the ability to listen to other board members, state
his opinion and stand up to the strong personalities in the room.
“Keith is very knowledgeable about the PFRS system, he
understands the pension system, and that’s why I think he’s a
great candidate,” Hall began. “I also think he has proven he
wants to be involved in what members need and what their
complaints are, and that is definitely a big help.”
Ah yes, the members; that’s what representation comes down
to. No membership is as all-for- one as the NJ State PBA, but at
the end of the day the members are beat cops, tactical officers,
juvenile detectives, corrections officers, transit officer, shift leaders and the like. They are family men and women, range in age
from 18 to 50 and are rookies to 20-year-plus vets thinking about
retirement and what they will do next.
So how does one account for all of the above?
“I’ve heard this before, and I don’t think of it that way,” Bennett responds. “We all have different job titles with different titles,
but we are in the same pension system. In my personal and professional life experiences, I have treated everyone fairly and
would do so if elected.”
So, Help Him
The words “If elected” often lead to campaign promises that
wind up being just that – promises borne out of being in the
public eye. Bennett hesitates to make any promises, preferring
honesty and integrity to celebrity.
In fact, he says, his only real promise is to follow the advice
Hall gave him: Be prepared to read and read some more. That, of
course, fulfills his goal of becoming as educated as possible and
making the most educated decisions possible. Beyond that, Bennett added that his responsibility is, “to be a watchdog for all
members of the PFRS and the pension itself.”
Bennett has already received a big vote of confidence. In the
preliminary election to nominate candidates in December, Bennett received nearly half of the total votes cast for the eight individuals who sought nomination. But this only leads him to his
most formidable campaign promise:
“I will not sit back and assume the same support,” he
explained. “I have offered to come to any Local or County Conference meeting. I want to get my name and face out there to as
many members \