Nicholas Sacco

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 32nd district for the 2014–2015 Legislative Session are:[16]

• Assemblyman Vincent Prieto
• Assemblywoman Angelica M. Jimenez

In 2009 Sacco was sued by April Tricoli when she claimed that he made lewd comments to her and engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment. The case was settled for $90,000.00.[20]

In 2011 another woman, Lydia Coleman, accused Sacco of sexually harassing her by leaving violent and sexually vulgar voice mails on her answering machine, in which he characterized her as "a retard" and "a scumbag", and threatened her job with the North Bergen Board of Education if she did not comply with his advances. Coleman's ethics complaint against Sacco was dismissed because of the statute of limitations involving ethics complaints.[21][22][22][23][24][25]

Sacco has been accused of engaging in widespread corruption and nepotism by having many of his family members on the payroll. Sacco has over 10 relatives and over 11 close friends on the Board of Education payroll, who earn over $1.5 million per year. As of February 2019, the matter is currently under investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations.[26][27]

Sacco has been critiqued for being one of the highest paid politicians in the State of New Jersey. Sacco regularly held made positions in the Board of Education paying over $200,000.00 per year. In addition to his functions as a Mayor and State Senator, Sacco earned over $300,000.00.[28][29]

In 2018 NBC News reported that Sacco was using the North Bergen Housing Authority, which houses seniors and financially struggling people, for political purposes. NBC stated that Sacco's driver, Geoffery Santini, had a no-show job and was often seen driving Sacco when he was supposed to be working. Santini was fired after the NBC probe, and filed his own suit alleging widespread corruption in the Housing Authority.[30]

Sacco has been accused of protecting his political machine by illegally pressuring school teachers to work for and donate money to his political campaigns, lest their lose jobs, promotions or salary increases. As of December 2018, the matter is under investigation.[31][32][33]

In 2018, Sacco approved a fracking power plant in North Bergen, which would deliver energy to New York City and New York State, and not New Jersey. Opponents stated it would harm air quality and increase New Jersey's contribution to global warming.[34] None of the Meadowlands towns in Hudson County – Kearny, Jersey City, Secaucus – took a public stance on the issue. Though the project, which will bring in millions in revenue to North Bergen, is supported by Sacco, it is opposed by mayors and citizens of other towns, as well as environmental groups like the Sierra Club, who fear it will increase cancer rates in and around North Bergen. Governor Phil Murphy, who was supported by Sacco, has not commented on about the power plant.[35][36][37][38][39]

In 2018, Sacco and the school board proposed building a new high school on Tonnelle Avenue, where there have been numerous fatal traffic accidents.[40][41][42][43][44]

The referendum was passed in violation of the Open Public Meetings Act and was done clandestinely. The town wanted to raise $60 million with the referendum to retrofit an old building, rather than build a new school. The project was widely criticized in the local media and the Jersey Journal wrote an editorial against the project.[45] Mario M. Blanch, Esq. filed an application to stop the project, which was denied by the Superior Court, and is currently under appeal.[46]