North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco is considering a public endorsement of Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the New Jersey governor’s race, the New Jersey Globe has learned.
Two key Sacco lieutenants, North Bergen Commissioners Anthony Vainieri, Jr. and Allan Pascual, met with Ciattarelli and Hudson County GOP Chairman Jose Arango at Roberto’s Ristorante in Edgewater nearly two weeks ago to discuss support from Sacco. Ciattarelli has also met with other high-level Hudson County political leaders, including Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, the Democratic nominee for sheriff; incumbent Sheriff Frank Schillari, whom Davis beat in the June Democratic primary, endorsed Ciattarelli over the summer.
Pascual, a Republican, is expected to support Ciattarelli. Vainieri, a former county commissioner and Hudson County Democratic chairman, supported Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Another commissioner, Hugo Cabrera, is planning to endorse Democrat Mikie Sherrill, even if Sacco supports Ciattarelli, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
Phil Swibinski, a spokesman for Sacco, pushed back on the idea that Sacco was considering Ciattarelli.
“Nick Sacco is a proud, lifelong Democrat, and he has absolutely no intention of supporting Jack Ciattarelli for Governor and has not had any contact with the Ciattarelli campaign,” Swibinski said. (Editor’s note: the New Jersey Globe stands firmly behind the accuracy of our reporting.)
North Bergen has been a Democratic stronghold for decades, except for flirtations with Ronald Reagan and Tom Kean in the 1980s. Gov. Phil Murphy won the town by 45 percentage points against Ciattarelli in 2021, but in 2024, Donald Trump came within six points and 1,332 votes of carrying North Bergen.
The potential defection of Sacco, a lifelong Democrat who has held local office in North Bergen since 1985, is connected to a feud with a more powerful local political leader, State Sen. Brian P. Stack, the mayor of Union City and a supporter of Rep. Mikie Sherrill for governor.
Sacco had served in the State Senate for thirty years but was forced to leave the Senate four years ago after legislative redistricting in 2022 placed him in the same district as Stack, a GOTV wunderkind.
What escalated a warette into a war was the decision to hire YouTube agitator Leonard Filipowski, aka LeRoy Truth, to harass Stack and his family. There is now evidence linking Filipowski to Sacco.
The flirtation with Ciattarelli underscores the possible battle to succeed Sacco, 78, if he doesn’t seek re-election in the May 2027 non-partisan municipal election. Vainieri and Cabrera are fighting over who is Sacco’s rightful heir. Also in the mayoral mix is businessman Larry Wainstein, who challenged Sacco in 2015, 2019, and 2023; Wainstein is now allied with Stack and is a sure thing to win the election to the State Assembly in November.
This story was updated at 3:04 PM with comment from Swibinski.
