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(EDITOR’S NOTE: The letter is addressed to: Mr. Edward Brannigan, NJ State FOP President; Mr. Anthony Wieners, NJ State PBA President; Mr. Joseph Lavin, NJ State FMBA President, and Mr. Dominick Marino, PFANJ President)
Mt. Olive Sgt. Michael F. Pocquat
The reason I am contacting you is quite simple. Since the letter was published, I have received a tremendous response from officers (current and retired), fireman, and citizens through-out the state. Although it is nice to hear so many positive comments, the letter itself does little to remedy the current situation we find ourselves in.
One of the recurring questions being asked is “What are we doing about it?” Although the letter explains how we got to where we are, I am at a loss to answer what is being done without a response from you, our State FOP, PBA, FMBA, and PFANJ Presidents and representatives.
I have read over Mr. Brannigan’s “President’s Message” and FOP “Mission Statement” posted on the State FOP web site, and I would like to draw a few quotes from them.
“We have learned from the past and will respond to the challenges of today with imagination, courage and determination.”, “The New Jersey State Lodge is committed to protecting those who protect others.”, and “…to support the improvement of the standard of living and working conditions of the law enforcement profession through every legal and ethical means available.”
I am sure all of you stand behind a similar message, and I am confident you want to do the right thing. All officers and fireman in the state of NJ, whatever their affiliation, do not take these words lightly, and I do not believe you do either.
By far two of the biggest challenges facing us at this time are our under-funded pension fund and the attack on our benefits. Our pension system as promised is in trouble. Billions of dollars have been stolen from it, leaving it precariously balanced on the edge of future bankruptcy. And the current governor has indicated he has no intention of re-funding that money stolen from us by his predecessors.
Thousands of officers and fireman are faced with an uncertain future as to the solvency of the entire fund, and they are looking for answers and guidance. I believe that as of May 2010, two of our organizations have filed a lawsuit seeking to block reductions in pensions and health benefits based on the unconstitutionality of this legislation.
While I know this is an important step in the right direction at preserving our benefits at their current level, what is being done to see that the pension fund itself is brought back to health? Without that, all the benefit preservation will mean little. It is the fund itself that provides the bulk of our future. We can block every proposed reduction in our benefits, but if the money is not paid back into the fund, financial collapse is foreseeable.
Winning on the proposed benefit reductions will have meant nothing when there no longer is a viable fund to pay basic retirement costs. I am not sure we are seeing the forest through the trees here, and the governor appears to be successfully throwing up a smoke screen to the more serious issue.
I speak for many of us throughout the state when we say that our money and our futures have been, and currently are being, stolen from right under our noses. Although we may be in different organizations, we have common ground. Can we truly afford to just sit back and hope for the best?
Hope that somehow the Governor will have an enlightened moment where he reverses course and begins re-funding the money stolen from us. Simply put; what steps are the State FOP, PBA, FMBA, and PFANJ taking to “protect those who protect others”?
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I believe all of us are looking for an answer as to what you, who represent us, are doing to see that this money is replaced and our futures are secure for our families. Having entrusted you with the positions you now hold, we are looking to you for leadership, information, and responsiveness.
– Why have the state FOP, PBA, FMBA and PFANJ not mounted an aggressive, yet balanced, campaign to defend us in the face of the Governor’s concerted effort to malign us, distort the truth and paint us as greedy villains bankrupting the state?
Public support is needed, and our Governor is eroding that public support.
– Have we sought legal council on the current state of our pension fund? If not, why?
– If consulted, what is legal council’s opinion?
– Have we filed litigation to recoup the funds stolen from us based on the unconstitutional or unlawful raiding of our pension fund? If not, why?
– What actions are being taken on the Governor’s stance of not fully funding the pension fund?
– Are towns and municipalities continuing to make their required “catch-up” contributions based on the 20%, 40%, 60% etc. legislation until they have caught up on their previously skipped payments?
– Additionally, was the State of NJ included in the above repayment legislation to pay back the 40 billion dollars stolen from us, and if so, are they now in violation of that legislation?
Is this the 3 billion dollars Governor Christie has stated he will not pay?
– Have steps been taken to hire an independent auditing firm to examine the State’s financial records, specifically those of the PFRS? Wouldn’t this be a prudent step to take in providing an absolute assessment of the fund and it’s status?
– Have we filed OPRA requests for the financial records related to our pension fund dating back to the Florio administration to begin tracking where this stolen money went? Who specifically withdrew it, and where was it subsequently deposited?
– Most importantly…Are we working together? Do we have a plan on how to go about attacking this entire problem? Have we held a joint meeting where the executive boards of each State organization affecting by this sit down for a round table on addressing the issues and come up with a(n) agreed upon game plan on how to best proceed.
Wouldn’t it make sense to build an alliance to tackle such a serious issue?
I am in the process of writing a follow-up to letter to many of our local chapters. In that letter, I hope to answer many of these questions. I will not base my answers on speculation and assumptions. We are looking to you to set the record straight so that those who have entrusted you with your office can feel confident that their voices and concerns are being heard, and that the State FOP, PBA, FMBA, and PFANJ continue to have all of our best interests at heart.
You can be assured that I will not misquote you, but you may feel more comfortable printing this letter in one of our fraternal publications and addressing these concerns directly. Additionally, I am forwarding this letter to many of our brother officers and firemen throughout the State, so that they can be assured these questions are being asked of you.
I hope you take the time to respond so that many of us, who feel we are in the dark, can be educated on what is being done. I can be reached at the above e-mail, or please feel free to contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx*. Thank you for your time. I await your reply.
Fraternally,
Michael F. Pocquat
*Number protected by CLIFFVIEWPILOT.COM
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