Sacco retires, backs Hugo Cabrera as North Bergen mayor; challenger Larry Wainstein calls it 'a coronation'

North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who has led the township since 1991, announced Thursday night that he is retiring from elected office and endorsed Commissioner Hugo Cabrera to succeed him, according to a statement released Thursday night by the Township of North Bergen. Assemblyman Larry Wainstein, a longtime Sacco rival, called the plan “a coronation” in social media posts.

Sacco made the announcement in front of hundreds of supporters at his annual Mayor’s Ball fundraiser, the statement said. He will submit a letter of resignation to the township clerk in the coming days, effective Oct. 28, 2026.

After that, the remaining members of the Board of Commissioners will hold a public meeting to fill the vacancy, appoint Cabrera as mayor and assign municipal departments, according to the statement. Cabrera, whose parents immigrated from Colombia, would be North Bergen’s first Hispanic mayor, the statement said.

Cabrera and the other commissioners are also backing Nick Sacco Jr., the mayor’s son and the principal of Lincoln Elementary School, to be appointed to his father’s seat on the Board of Commissioners once the vacancy occurs.

Watch: Hudson TV live from the Mayor’s Ball

Hudson TV’s Facebook live of the announcement at the Mayor’s Ball. Watch on Facebook.

“The honor and privilege of my life”

Sacco, who was re-elected in 2023, said he had planned to serve out his term and cited “recent health challenges.”

“Serving as Mayor of North Bergen has been the honor and privilege of my life and I cannot thank the people of this community enough for the tremendous support they have given me over the years, which has enabled us to do so many wonderful things,” Sacco said in the statement.

“When we overwhelmingly won re-election in 2023 I fully intended on completing this term in office. However, recent health challenges as well as many conversations with family, friends and colleagues have led me to decide that it is in the community’s best interest for me to pass the baton to my close friend and longtime running mate Commissioner Hugo Cabrera, whose experience and vision for North Bergen’s future are exactly what we need in our next Mayor.”

Cabrera said: “I have had the opportunity to learn so much about public service from being at Mayor Sacco’s side for so many years, and his selfless decision to step aside now is just the latest example of him putting the community first and doing what is best for North Bergen.”

He added that he looks forward to “working with Governor Mikie Sherrill, our state legislators, county leaders and neighboring mayors to build on the progress we’ve made and create an even brighter future for North Bergen,” and said: “I promise to work hard each and every day to make North Bergen more affordable, solve problems, help people and carry on the legacy of public service that Mayor Sacco has exemplified throughout his career.”

Nick Sacco Jr. said: “Nobody worked harder for North Bergen than my dad, and he always found the time to be a great father and grandfather at the same time.” He also said: “I’m honored and grateful to have the support of Commissioners Cabrera, Pascual, Rodriguez and Vainieri for the opportunity to serve on the Board of Commissioners and continue giving back to the place that means everything to me.”

Township Administrator Janet Castro said: “Nick Sacco will go down in history as one of the most significant and influential elected officials to ever serve in local office in New Jersey, with a clear record of accomplishment that will continue to positively impact North Bergen residents for generations to come.”

What happens next

North Bergen uses the Walsh Act commission form of government: voters elect five commissioners, who then choose one of their own members to serve as mayor. The current board is Sacco, Cabrera, Allen Pascual, Claudia Rodriguez and Anthony Vainieri.

Once Sacco’s resignation takes effect on Oct. 28, the four remaining commissioners are expected to vote to fill his seat, name Cabrera mayor and hand out department assignments at a public meeting, according to the statement. No date for that meeting has been announced. The next regular township election is May 11, 2027.

Challenger: ‘That is not an election. That is a coronation.’

Assemblyman Larry Wainstein (D-33rd District), who ran against Sacco’s ticket in North Bergen’s 2015, 2019 and 2023 township elections and has been named by the New Jersey Globe as a possible candidate for mayor, criticized the succession plan in a Spanish-language post on his Facebook page. Wainstein, a North Bergen resident, is a political ally of Union City Mayor and state Sen. Brian Stack.

“Sacco is expected to resign as mayor after nearly four decades in power. But it won’t be the people who choose his next interim mayor. Sacco’s political machine will simply appoint Hugo Cabrera, the man he himself already hand-picked,” Wainstein wrote. “This is not an election, it’s a coronation!”

In an English version posted on X Thursday afternoon, before the announcement, he wrote: “That is not an election. That is a coronation.”

In the Facebook post, Wainstein also said the announcement would come the same night Sacco’s organization was holding a $1,000-a-ticket event at The Venetian in Garfield. He claimed property taxes in North Bergen have gone up about $1,000 a year, that sewer bills “could be the next to rise,” and that the township’s streets are “full of garbage and potholes,” adding that families who have lived there all their lives can no longer live in their own town. The township’s statement, by contrast, credits Sacco with keeping property taxes stable over the long term despite cuts in state aid.

“North Bergen deserves a democratic process, not Sacco imposing a puppet to keep pulling the strings from the shadows,” Wainstein wrote. “After 40 years, it’s time for a change!”

Under North Bergen’s Walsh Act form of government, the commissioners, not voters, fill a vacancy on the board and choose the mayor from among themselves. According to the township’s statement, the four remaining commissioners will vote at a public meeting after Oct. 28 to fill Sacco’s seat and appoint Cabrera as mayor. Voters will next choose all five commissioners in the May 11, 2027 township election.

Wainstein’s Facebook post quotes are translated from Spanish by Hudson TV.

Sacco’s record, according to the township

Sacco was first elected to local office in 1985 and has been mayor since 1991. He was also a longtime member of the New Jersey State Senate and a classroom teacher and later assistant superintendent of the North Bergen school district. The Nicholas J. Sacco Junior High School was named for him in 2025.

The statement lists accomplishments it credits to Sacco, including:

• Expanding the North Bergen Police Department and adding technology.
• Building three overpasses over Tonnelle Avenue.
• Fully renovating the public library’s main branch and opening the Downtown Recreation Center and Library.
• Opening new parks, including the Waterfront Park on River Road and Paterson Plank Road Park.
• Launching the NB CARES program to help residents forced from their homes by fires, floods and other disasters.
• Keeping property taxes stable over the long term despite cuts in state aid.

Who is Hugo Cabrera?

Cabrera was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 1999 and has led the Department of Parks and Recreation for the past ten years, overseeing the township’s recreation programs, according to the statement. He also works as board secretary of the North Bergen Board of Education.

The statement describes him as “an outspoken advocate for local immigrant communities” who “has frequently spoken out against abuses by ICE.” He is a married father and grandfather.

Updated Oct. 9, 2026, with reaction from Assemblyman Larry Wainstein.

Hudson TV was at the Mayor’s Ball on Thursday night. Watch the announcement and our earlier live from the event. This story will be updated.

Earlier: Sacco expected to announce his resignation at mayor’s ball (Oct. 7)