Valor Awards
Executive Board Member of the Year
2016 NJSPBA
Valor Awards
George Miller
Secaucus Local 84
Words of Honor
The only words most people ever heard George Miller speak came when he gave them the oath to become a new NJ State PBA Delegate. Which he did thousands of times in his nearly 20 years serving as the PBA Recording Secretary.
Miller finally retired from his service to the PBA after 25 years as a member of the Executive Board, and for that service he was honored as the 2016 Executive Board Member of the Year. As a fitting tribute, Miller’ s friends, colleagues and fellow officers submitted their words of praise to honor the PBA’ s quiet man. d
He was a team player. He was such a quiet guy. He was always there. He was a loyal guy. He was a dependable guy. He’ s old-school.
Retired NJ State PBA President Mike Madonna
I wish every delegate took a lesson from George Miller. There is only one word to describe George: loyal. Most guys are replaceable in the PBA. A guy like George Miller will be very hard to replace.
NJ State PBA Executive Vice-President Marc Kovar
George was the redwood tree. He was there for a long time. He was solid. And you could always lean on him. George never needed any help. He came in and did his thing. And he did it well. Like the redwood tree, people may not have noticed him over time.
NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan
You cannot replace George. Everybody says I’ m the new George. I take that as a compliment. He is the epitome of the PBA. He understands the dynamic of the members better than anybody. I can’ t fill his shoes because he did so much and knew so much. It’ s a space to fill that nobody will ever be able to fill. NJ State PBA Recording Secretary Meg Hammond
When I was a young delegate, he was already the Hudson County Conference Chair and from Day One, he treated me like I was there forever. When you needed things taken care of, George would take care of it. He would go out of his way for you and make everything right. Being a union leader was his passion, and that never came second.
Joe Nigro, Harrison Local 22 State Delegate and Co-Chair of the
Hudson County Conference
I watched George Miller for a long time as a State Delegate, and the past few years, I’ ve had the pleasure of sitting next to him at state meetings. He continuously impressed me with his dedication to the PBA and the work he did, not only for his members in Secaucus but all throughout the organization. He will certainly be missed.
John Hulse, PBA Special Projects Coordinator who served on the Executive Board with Miller for many years
George was a pillar. People relied on him. He never failed. He always fulfilled his responsibilities to his members, the PBA and the Hudson County Conference he chaired. You want an example of a great PBA member: George.
George O’ Brien, PBA Collective Labor Relations
Consultant who served alongside Miller for many years
George actually signed my original delegate card. One of the things I was impressed with when he came on the LPP Committee is that he had a very up-front attitude and a great perspective on everything. He could always relate to the younger members as well as the older ones. I think he came on the job when I was 7 years old and to the end he was still as involved as anybody could be. He loved the job.
Kevin Lyons, PBA LPP and Health Benefits Coordinator who started his career after
Miller and retired three years before George
www. njcopsmagazine. com ■ DECEMBER 2016 47