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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2015
State Legislature this past October paved the way for the PAC Fund
to do its thing.
And it’s working.
“When we walk into a room now, politicians are tripping over
themselves to say hello to us,” Kovar revealed.
Added Colligan: “Word has gotten around pretty quickly.”
And this from Nixon: “The creation of the NJ State PBA PAC has
raised a lot of eyebrows.”
The need for the PAC Fund has grown from members not
responding to the loss in benefits by voting out those who wrought
them. That, Colligan says, left elected officials realizing that PBA
members were an ambivalent group not engaged in the process.
The opportunity for the PAC Fund gained momentum after Nixon
and noted political analyst Hank Sheinkopf, the former New York
cop who has helped run political campaigns, spoke of its power at
the PBA annual convention in September. And seeing how the NJ
Education Association used its massive PAC Fund to stave off some
Chapter 78 hits also helped the PBA leadership understand its
impact.
“Legislative races are not run with speeches. They are run with
cash,” President Colligan added. “We used to rely on our good name.
Now, we have to rely on boots on the ground, effort and money.”
Make no mistake, the PAC Fund