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NEW JERSEY COPS n JULY 2014
ects Coordinator John Hulse, who is really the one who calls
Kovar “protégé.” The first of these was Local 14 State Delegate
Neil Hoogmoed, who asked Kovar to run for Local 14 Trustee in
1994.
He also asked Kovar to run for State Delegate in 1997, but he
opted not to, waiting until 2004 to take that position. Eventually,
he earned a place on the NJ State PBA Executive Board. By 2013,
he ascended to NJ State PBA Executive Board Member of the
Year as he was recognized this past December. His devotion to
the union and his perspectives have been molded by all of the
above, and just days after starting his new role in Woodbridge,
he was already talking about the fight.
“When it comes to getting the bad guy off the street, we can
get 50 cops coming from all over the place to help in a matter of
seconds. But what do we need to do to get our guys to wake up
and speak up when it comes to matters concerning their jobs?”
Kovar asserts. “Every man and woman who puts on that uniform
needs to get involved.”
This is Kovar at his core, doing his best Sundance. If he
believes the fight can be won, he commits to it with everything
he has. And he won’t be afraid to tell you as much.
“Sometimes, I’m a little too brutally honest,” he continues. “If
we have to close the door and fight it out, we shake hands at the
end and don’t take it personally. We’re all for the same cause, and
as long as you don’t take it personal, it’s all good.”
Like all leaders who shoot from the hip (and the lip), there’s a
flip side to this hard exterior. To expose that side of Kovar, turn to
the one who does know him best.
“When he got the call (about becoming Executive VP), it was
like a dream come true for him,” reveals his wife, Nicole. “It completely built up his confidence, and when people put that kind
Marc Kovar, with, from left, daughter Rachel, daughter Isabella
and wife, Nicole.
of faith in him, he’s awesome.”C’mon, Nicole, is that all you have?
“Well, I can assure you that this is not just a title to him. It’s a
calling.”
Anything else?
“He’s passionate to help the people and the causes he believes
in. And he’s very smart about figuring out how to deal with situations. It’s on a bigger scale now, but he’s been working toward
this for a long time.”
What’s he like when the phone rings at 1 a.m. and he has to get
up to tend to a PBA matter?
“He never thinks about not going,” Nicole said. Then she
capped off this part of the appraisal by saying: “He feels his presence represents the people he’s fighting for, and he doesn’t take
any crap. And if he believes in the cause, he will never give up.”
He’s got your back
Those of you who don’t know Kovar, or never met him at a
PBA event – though ther