CLEVELAND, April 6 — Matt Kronyak was elected Chairman of the New Jersey State Legislative Board at meetings in Newark, N.J., from March 26-27. He replaces outgoing Chairman Jim Chappelle, who is retiring after nearly 36 years of dedication and service to the Brotherhood.
“Brother Chappelle has done a great job serving the members in the state of New Jersey, and has volunteered to help us in any way he can for the next 13 months,” Brother Kronyak said. “I look forward to continuing the work he has done and serving the BLET. I would like to thank all of those who attended the meeting.”
Brother Kronyak is a CSX (former Conrail) locomotive engineer and member of BLET Division 235 (Union City, N.J.). He has been a BLET member since December 1, 1995.
Also elected at the meeting were: Fred Mattison, First Vice Chairman (Division 373, Trenton, N.J.); Sean Simon, Second Vice Chairman (Division 226, Newark, N.J.); Mike Luteran, Secretary-Treasurer (Division 601, Newark); and Brian Baginski, Alternate Secretary-Treasurer (Division 601).
BLET National President Paul Sorrow congratulated all officers on their elections and thanked them for their continued dedication to the affairs of the Brotherhood.
“I have every confidence in the world that Brother Kronyak will do an outstanding job representing the rights and interests of our Brothers and Sisters in New Jersey,” President Sorrow said. “I also thank retiring Chairman Jim Chappelle for his years of sacrifice and dedication to our Brotherhood.”
Attending the meeting on behalf of National President Sorrow was First Vice President Dennis Pierce. He presented Brother Chappelle with a plaque from the National Division honoring him for his years of service to the Brotherhood and thanking him and his family for their dedication and many sacrifices over the years.
Brother Chappelle is retiring after nearly 40 years of experience with New Jersey Transit. He joined the Brotherhood on December 1, 1974, and is a member of BLET Division 53 (Jersey City, N.J.).
BLET Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman was also at the meeting. He presented insights into legislation that the BLET is working on in 2010. He also discussed the upcoming political races as well as key regulatory issues.
Other BLET officers attending the meeting include: Ken Kertesz, Chairman of the Pennsylvania State Legislative Board; Tim Hanely, Chairman of the Ohio State Legislative Board and NASLBC Region 1 Chairman; and Jim Louis, Chairman of the New York State Legislative Board and Chairman of the Conrail (SAA-CSXT-Northern District) General Committee of Adjustment.
Also in attendance was Cliff Nolan of Teamsters Joint Council 73, which represents 65,000 members.
“Congratulations to Brother Kronyak and all of the members elected at the meeting,” Vice President Tolman said. “I look forward to working with Matt.”