‘ Grateful’ for your support What a long, great trip it’ s been my first two years
Marc Kovar
Executive Vice-President
Two years ago, many PBA members knew me as a behind-the-scenes guy who was happy to do the little things like load cars at a toy drive or clean up the trailer after an event as so many of our members do so often. I would ride along to the events with President Tony Wieners and Executive Vice-President Keith Dunn, and I thought I knew a lot about the PBA.
Now, here I am two years into being NJ State PBA Executive Vice-President realizing just how much intensity it takes to help run this multi-million-dollar business that our union has become. And on this second anniversary of being in this job, I am happy that you all know me as more than a behind-the-scenes guy.
Two years ago, most people didn’ t know who( State President) Pat Colligan and Marc Kovar were. But thanks to the PBA members believing in us, we can walk the halls of the state legislature in Trenton and many other places across the state, and they know Pat and Marc. And thanks to your help, they all know the New Jersey State PBA.
Looking back on the past two years, we are grateful to the membership for getting behind our political action initiatives and our PAC fund. Your efforts to get involved in the election process, from canvassing in your towns to working the phone banks on election days, have helped us get so much done.
I feel like I’ m doing the job the same way when I used to work in the kitchen at the holiday party, but I’ m just more out in the open. I’ ve always believed in doing whatever it takes; I’ m just doing it now on a higher level. Whether it’ s motivating members or getting the bodies out, we’ ve been able to focus on driving our message because the members believe in our vision.
I can tell you I was a little nervous when I took over as Executive Vice-President. I didn’ t want to let the membership down. There have been a lot of stressful days and long hours as a result, but I love doing this. It’ s in my blood. I could do it eight days a week and just keep going and going, though it’ s nice to get home and spend time with my family.
W E LCO M E N E W D E L E G AT E S
If I could work eight days a week, I could make it to every event for every Local. We try to make it to every event. I feel that’ s part of my job. I want to meet all the members, not just the delegates, and I’ ve had a chance to meet thousands, not just from the municipalities, but corrections, the sheriff’ s offices, the prosecutor’ s offices and many of the statewide agencies. I can’ t tell you how much it means when you tell me,“ We’ ve never had the PBA come down here.” That makes us want to come back.
And we will be back. I’ ve put about 3,000 miles per month on my car the past two years, and it’ s been worth every mile. We know how important it is to make it to Cumberland County or Warren County, even if we can only stay for an hour.
Meeting so many of you has helped me understand the best measure of success for the PBA the past two years. We saw it on June 20 when more than 150 members came out on a Monday morning in Paramus to support our endorsement of Democrat Josh Gottheimer for Congress.
That’ s just one race in one election, but that’ s how far we’ ve come in the past two years. We’ re already gearing up for the 2017 election, looking at endorsing candidates in districts where the elected officials haven’ t been good to us, scouting the locations for the phone banks and planning to take back what was taken from us eight years ago with the swipe of a pen.
We ' ve built the relationships in the districts and in Trenton. I used to be nervous about stopping an assembly representative or state senator to talk to them two years ago. Now, we walk the halls of the state legislature and see many elected officials who have become supporters of the PBA. Everywhere, it seems, they know the PBA, and that is because of what you have allowed us to do and what you have done to support us.
So I plan on continuing to go eight days a week to lobby in Trenton, meet with members or load cars at a toy drive. Like I said, it’ s just in my blood. I didn’ t want to be a sergeant. I didn’ t want to be a lieutenant. I’ ve always loved the union, and the past two years I’ ve tried to go from giving 100 percent to giving 200 percent because that’ s what I believe in. d
The following new State Delegates were sworn in at the NJ State PBA Meeting on Jan. 28 in Atlantic City:
Brian Pio, Salem County Corrections Local 400; Pam Ricciardi, Monmouth County Detectives Local 256; Mario Lima, Ventnor City Local 97; Jamar Hall, Union County Police Local 73; Patrick Bradley, Union Township Local 69; Daniel Norton, Cranford Local 52; Owen Duff Northern Somerset Local 139; Robert Ruane, Essex County Sheriff’ s Department Local 183; Jim Arnesen, Mendham Township Local 402; Brendan Burke, Hawthorne Local 200; Jason A. Cardamoni, Eatontown Local 305; Joseph Schnackenberg, Ridgefield Local 330.
www. njcopsmagazine. com ■ JULY 2016 7