Robert Czech, former Christie cabinet member, dies at 71

Robert Czech, Sr., who served eight years in the cabinet of Gov. Chris Christie as chairman and CEO of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, died on June 17 after a 15-year battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  He was 71.

Czech was serving as the Monmouth County Administrator in 2010 when Christie tapped him for the cabinet post.   He had previously served as Middletown Township Administrator and held parallel posts in Kearny, Montclair, and Passaic.  Early in his career, he practiced law at Scarinci & Hollenbeck, a politically influential North Jersey law firm.

As a cabinet member, Czech took on several difficult assignments, including a task force to study the impact of new budget caps on police and fire union arbitrations.  He played a key role in convincing Christie to scale back proposed changes to the state’s civil service system.  Christie wanted job bands – groups of public employees who could advance without taking civil service exams – but Czech privately argued that the policy might open the door to more patronage and corruption.

Czech was diagnosed with ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, during Christie’s first term.  He remained in office for the entirety of Christie’s governorship.  His family said he was the first U.S. patient to have Synchron’s brain-computer interface implanted in his brain.

He was predeceased by his wife, Anne Mary Egan, a registered nurse who died of injuries from an automobile accident in 2014.   A longtime Sea Girt resident, Czech is survived by his four children and his grandson.

A viewing is being held today from 4-7 PM at O’Brien Funeral Home in Wall.  A funeral will be held at St. Mark’s Church in Sea Girt on Saturday, June 20 at 10 AM.