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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JULY 2014
COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT: CONVENTION COMMITTEE
How to get the most out of the Annual Convention
■ BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
NJ State PBA Second Vice-President Peter Andreyev, who doubles as the organization’s Convention Committee Chairman,
doesn’t want anybody to get the notion that the best part of the
PBA Annual Convention is hanging out around the bar.
But in a way, it is. Maybe not the bar, but certainly the lobby, the
restaurants, the pool or any place where a couple of members
attending can talk about challenges their Locals are facing,
exchange tips to bring to the collective bargaining table or share
best ideas for fundraising.
“One of the best parts of the convention is the networking,”
explains Andreyev who is in his second year of running the convention committee. “Older delegates can share their experience
with newer delegates and members can find out what is going on
in other parts of the state. We want to make sure there is an informal setting for them to hang out and exchange information.
That’s almost as valuable as what goes on in the meetings.”
Consequently, the committee’s ongoing priority is location,
location, location. The convention site is actually determined up
to two years in advance, so Andreyev’s team is currently working
on a location for the 2016 event. The 2014 Annual Convention at
Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Orlando and the 2105
Convention in Las Vegas were set when Sean McHugh, who
retired two years ago, was Convention Committee Chairman.
This year’s convention is scheduled for Sept. 17-23 or Sept. 1824. For reservations or information, contact Debbie at the State
Edmond P. Brady, CPA – Partner
[email protected]
Responsible for more than 300 PBA’s in
New Jersey and New York
Licensed in NJ, NY and Mass.
Livingston, NJ • Yonkers, NY
Phone (973) 535-2880 • www.mbccpa.com
Members attending the 2013 NJ State PBA Annual Convention network during the reception to kick off the event.
PBA Office (732-636-8860).
“It’s about finding the right place for our members that gives
them the best possible options and choices for the best experience and successful meetings,” Andreyev continued. “We also
want a good family atmosphere. Many delegates and presidents
are being pulled in multiple directions and having to leave their
families in the middle of the night. So this is the type of thing
where you can bring the family and relax a bit. If it can help balance things out and provide a chance to have some fun with your
family that is what we are looking for.”
Andreyev, who is the State Delegate for Beach Boro Local 106,
also added that the committee looks for a location that has
employees who are union members or a facility that is friendly to
unions. If the NJ State PBA Annual Convention can bring some
additional jobs to a location, particularly one in the U.S., that is
important as well.
So currently, the committee’s bi-monthly or monthly meetings have two objectives. The team, which includes Domenic
Cappella (Ventnor City 97), William Brennan (Livingston 263),
Jorge Ramos (West New York 361), James Crilly (Hunterdon
County188), Joseph Biamonte, Jr. (Wood-Ridge 313), Kelly
Polack (Middlesex County Prosecutors Office 214), Kevin Hibbitt (Barrington-Haddon Heights-Haddonfield 328), Thomas J.
Miller (Bergen County Police 49), Luke Sciallo (AllenhurstOcean Township 57), John Graham (State Corrections 105) and
Michael Freeman (Summit 55), is working on a location for the
2016 convention and tending to the details of this year’s event.
Andreyev reminds that members attending can ask any of the
convention committee members for assistance while at Disney.
“We know where things are and where to send people if they are
looking for something,” he adds. “We’re the buffer between the
location and the members.”
Once again, the agenda of this year’s Annual Convention will
focus on legal and legislative issues and information about benefits. The committee also wants all members to keep this in mind
rega