In with
the old
Middlesex/Somerset County Conference State Delegates past and present united for Old-Timers’ Night on June 6 at the Raritan River Boat Club in Edison.
Past and present State Delegates
bond at Middlesex/Somerset County
Conference Old-Timers’ Night
■ BY JENNIFER TRATTLER
When NJ State PBA President Patrick Colligan reflects on the
many events run by the Middlesex/Somerset County Conference
during his tenure as chairperson, one rushes to the forefront of his
memory:
“If there’s one event I can look back on during my career that I had
an impact on, it’s starting Old-Timers’ Night,” he recognized of the
event that spawned from the long-standing tradition of inviting the
County Conference’s retired State Delegates to its annual Christmas
meeting. For this year’s June 6 gathering, more than 50 current and
former State Delegates got together for a night of laughs and camaraderie at the Raritan River Boat Club in Edison.
“It was great to see people we didn’t always get to see,” reflected
Colligan – himself a past-Franklin Township Local 154 State
Delegate – about the sentiment that led him to develop the annual
event to its current prominence.
The expansion began in 2011, when the Middlesex/Somerset
County Conference decided to do more than invite a few retirees to
the holiday meeting. Rather, Colligan planned an annual event during which current and former State Delegates could mingle and
strengthen relationships they spent years forging.
“It became such a hit that everybody said ‘Let’s do this again next
year,’” noted Colligan. “We don’t cover too much business. It’s about
cigars, a couple drinks and laughing with the folks who show up. It
accentuates the camaraderie that is so much a part of the job.”
The tradition continued after Colligan passed the baton to
current Middlesex/Somerset County Conference Chair Kelly Polack
NJ State PBA President Patrick Colligan, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office
Local 214 State Delegate Kelly Polack and Middlesex/Somerset County Conference Attorney Len Schiro bond at the annual Old-Timers’ Night.
in 2014, and the event has grown to become an even bigger endeavor.
“I’m fortunate in following Pat’s lead,” admitted Polack, who is
also the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Local 214 State Delegate. “I’ve been the State Delegate for almost nine years now and
rely on current State Delegates to reach out to past members.”
It’s no small feat to organize an event that includes 45 Locals
spread throughout two counties, but Polack acknowledged why it’s
worth the effort.
“My State Delegate family is an extension of my family,” she identified. “I’ve grown to be so fond of them. When someone’s gone for
whatever reason, you miss them and it’s a great way to keep in touch
with each other.”
Polack shared words of wisdom from former Local 214 State Delegate John Szilagyi, which really drove home the importance of
keeping up relationships with law enforcement officers who were
promoted or who retired from the job.
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