38
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ AUGUST 2014
You never
forget your
first
First state meeting with new
leaders a memorable event
■ BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
■ PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI JR.
Was he forgetting something?
Pat Colligan sat in his new office at the NJ State PBA headquarters in Woodbridge a little after 6 a.m. In a few hours, he
would be conducting his first state meeting as PBA President.
He had his thoughts prepared. He knew he would begin by saying a few words about the line of duty death in Jersey City two
days earlier.
Then, Colligan remembered what he forgot.
“I wasn’t sure if I remembered the agenda,” he confided. “So
I ran down the hall, and sure enough there was Pat Fluta. I asked
her if she knew the agenda.”
Like she has for six presidents before Colligan, Fluta produced what was needed when it was needed most.
And that was about the only glitch, hiccup or miscue on this
July 15 morning when Pat Colligan and Executive Vice-President Marc Kovar officially took the reins of the state’s largest
police union. By noon, a filled-to-the-brim meeting room at
Pines Manor in Edison was buzzing with exuberance and
excitement.
Everybody in the room seemed to want a minute with Colligan and Kovar to offer congratulations, best of luck and most
importantly to announce that they were on board. One member even walked with Kovar toward the restroom to have a few
words.
Marc Kovar with Passaic Deputy Chief of Police
Rosario J. Capuana
“Change is good, and we’ll see what happens,” said Woodbridge Local 38 State Delegate Bruce Chester, who has seen
more change than most in his 45 years on the job and 10 as delegate. “I think it will be good. I’m looking forward to the younger
generation taking over.”
Colligan came off like a natural at the helm of this deal. He did
begin by asking all police officers to take extra precaution in the
wake of Jersey City Police Officer Melvin Santiago being shot
and killed. He threw in a one-liner or two when appropriate and
spoke calmly and collectedly when asserting his feelings about
all the positive attributes the PBA has forged.
He did get one minor issue off his chest by telling the members that he was still “Pat” and didn’t need, and didn’t want, to
be addressed as “Mr. President” or “President Colligan.”
“I felt comfortable because I believe in the message,” Colligan said after the meeting. “I spoke from the heart, and I didn’t
have to worry about missing a line or missing something
because I knew what I wanted to cover so I could deliver the
message as clearly and as succinctly as possible.”
His opening remarks lasted 15-20 minutes, thereby confirming the agenda Colligan and Kovar have of getting right to the
important stuff. On this morning, the first piece of important
CONTINUED ON PAGE 39