The O’Toole Chronicles: Brian Stack has one focus and that’s to serve the public

There are friendships made and then there are friendships forged. The former is most common; relationships with people you enjoy spending time with, whether in your personal or professional spheres. The latter friendships are rare. A forged friendship is borne of many years of shared experiences – often challenging ones – in addition to a shared sense of core values that stand the test of time.

My friendship with Brian Stack is the latter.

It is extremely rare to forge a true friendship in politics. The profession, as so many of us know, is too often based on favors and quids. But Brian Stack is different. He is authentically the most sincere, honest, and trustworthy state legislator I have ever met.

The state senator representing District 33, which includes, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and his hometown of Union City where he serves as mayor (the newly drawn district will also include North Bergen, Secaucus, West New York, and Guttenberg); and the Chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee – one of the most important committee chairmanships in the Legislature – is without parallel for his work ethic and integrity.

We both have been mayors, served in the state Assembly and the state Senate. And we both won hard-fought primary races in June of 2007. And this is where the similarities stop.

My friend Brian is very different in many respects. For starters, if you want to see a 21st century bionic legislator, spend a day with Brian Stack, New Jersey’s incarnation of Steve Austin. (If you’re too young to catch the reference, Google it). Brian never stops working and is relentless in his dedication to serving the public.

He and I are from two different political parties, but we both understand that once you are sworn into office, you have a responsibility to serve everyone in your community or district. Brian Stack is famous for working the phones after winning a landslide election to call people who did not support him so he can find out how he can serve them better going forward. He continues to build relationships and friendships with countless constituents, seeing hundreds of them daily, while also receiving dozens of calls on his cell phone.

I have written often about what makes for an effective elected official. Two of the most important attributes is one, never forget that public office is not about power, but about service. And two, be curious about everything, everyone, and every granular detail about the places you represent and the people you represent. In short, be Brian Stack.

Last week, I had the privilege to host the state Senator at the Port Authority Technical Center (PATC) where he had requested a tour of the facility to understand more about emerging security technologies and, also, to better understand how the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey secures the region and works with its neighboring municipalities.

PATC is the headquarters for the Port Authority Police Department and Senator Stack was able to meet with PAPD leadership and also witness the new recruit PAPD Academy class go through some strenuous physical training exercises. He was able to see demonstrations of how trained police dogs sniff out narcotics and explosives and have an upfront look at some of the large pieces of police equipment the PAPD can deploy during crisis situations.

What interested the senator most was technology – how it can be applied to prevent crime, to assess fluid situations whether they involve crowd control, an active shooter, or a blazing fire. To Senator Stack, technology is an important part of how we better serve the public in the 21^st century.

The Port Authority from its inception was created to be a collaborative agency between two states. But it is more than that. It is a collaborative agency among dozens of municipalities who need assistance from the PAPD. And as a member of senior leadership in the state Senate, Senator Stack wanted to learn more about the capabilities of the PAPD and how it can assist the various municipalities within the Port District.

I learn something new every day about the Port Authority, even after six years serving as its Chairman. I learn more listening to questions from smart people like Senator Stack. His interest in drone technology, not just its ability to detect hot spots in a fire, but to inspect infrastructure without needing to put people in high-risk situations, are examples of how a hands-on legislator sees technology as a valuable tool.

The state Senator wanted accurate information about car thefts in the region and what the Port Authority is doing to combat the targeting of certain makes and models, and to better understand whether stolen cars are moving through our seaports or through seaports south of the metro region. The answer is more stolen vehicles are moved from southern seaports than here in our region.

And Senator Stack wanted to know about reciprocity between the Port Authority and the State of New Jersey when it comes to catching big-time toll cheats. A New York resident who owes the Port Authority thousands of dollars in unpaid tolls may find his NY vehicle registration suspended until he pays up. But if he lives in New Jersey, there is not the same deterrent. There is no reciprocity between the Port Authority and the State of New Jersey regarding the vehicle registration of toll cheats. State Senate Judiciary Chairman Stack immediately wanted more information so the Legislature could rectify that. Expect more to come on that subject; it is now a priority for a state Senator who doesn’t take no for an answer.

Senator Stack is one of the rare public officials who spends little time affixing blame for inaction and almost all his time on delivering results.

He is curious about everything – about how all the Hudson County municipalities can make use of Port Authority resources and learn more from the Port Authority, and how the State of New Jersey and the Port Authority – working together – can find synergies to make New Jersey better, safer, and a model for public service.

You may not know it, but Senator Stack’s connection to the Port Authority goes back to his childhood. His dad was a conductor on PATH for 37 years and, as Brian tells it, his father let him punch tickets back in the day and even allowed him to drive the train a few times – I’m sure all labor rules and regulations were followed.

My deep friendship with Brian Stack has been forged over time, through shared battles and victories. I have the unique honor to call Brian Stack my friend. But thousands of New Jerseyans have an equal honor of calling Brian Stack Mr. Mayor and Senator.