"Any time I run for office, I run with apprehension," Sacco said. "I knew that I did not leave a single stone unturned. We worked straight through to Election Day. We were taking nothing for granted."
As the results started to filter in, the smile on Sacco's face grew wider. Not only was the mayor headed for a fourth term as mayor and sixth as a township commissioner, but this time he was winning by epic proportions.
Sacco collected 8,624 of the 11,506 votes tallied in the election, which amounted to 75 percent of the entire vote, compared to the top vote-getter on the opposing Column A slot, former Deputy Police Director Joe Marino, who had 2,882 votes.
The 3-to-1 margin was the most lopsided result in a full Board of Commissioners election in township history.
The victory came when Sacco appeared to be most vulnerable. A federal probe into corruption in the township has produced six indictments and guilty pleas of former township employees and elected officials, who are Sacco's close and personal colleagues.
It was believed that the cloud of controversy surrounding the corruption charges might severely hurt Sacco's chances of re-election. Sacco has denounced the corruption and said he knew nothing about it.
The powerful and popular mayor earned his greatest municipal victory to date as all five of the Column B incumbents were swept into the landslide victory. Commission incumbents Frank Gargiulo, Theresa Ferraro, Hugo Cabrera, and Allen Pascual easily outdistanced rivals from the Column A ticket, with Pascual collecting the second best vote total (8,579) next to Sacco.
In North Bergen's form of government, the commissioners win their seats and then elect a mayor from among themselves.
"It's absolutely wonderful," Sacco said after the results became official. "I'm just ecstatic. The people of North Bergen have shown their faith in the government. We were aware that we had problems in the town, but we worked quickly to rid ourselves of the problems."
Sacco said that the campaign had taken a turn for the worst over the last few days of the election, with some heated confrontations taking place. Summonses were issued to the Column A supporters for littering and causing a public nuisance.
"It was a case of trying to intimidate our supporters," Sacco said. "It was bad. We had people who literally had campaign material pulled from their hands. It was a nasty, physical campaign. It might not have been easily noticed, but I know people were upset by it. I think our camp showed great restraint in not retaliating."
While selling points in his campaign included stable taxes and a higher quality of life during his tenure as mayor, the underlying concern of the residents was whether they believed Sacco's continual pleas that he has had nothing to do with the township's corruption. Presently, Sacco has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
"Our message was simple," Sacco said. "Have faith in us. That's what we wanted to get out there. And the people of North Bergen re-elected us in an overwhelming margin. My feeling is that the people have spoken with these results."
One pollster believed that Sacco would receive 74 percent of the vote, missing by a percentage point. Cabrera, the commissioner of finance, who was re-elected to his second term, predicted on local cable television that the ticket would receive 78 percent.
"I actually felt that confident going down the stretch," Cabrera said. "Every time we went door-to-door, the response was so positive. I think we were able to get our message across. I think the people felt that we were doing a good job and wanted us to continue."
Gargiulo, who was elected to his third term, was asked if the lopsided victory was impressive.
"I don't think impressive is a strong enough word," Gargiulo said. "It's not meaningful enough. I don't think anyone could have expected this much of a margin. I'm definitely surprised the margin was that big. I think it shows that the town knows that we have a strong commitment and we can't sit back. It's a work in progress."
However, Pascual, who received nearly 80 percent of the vote in his special election victory in November, was not shocked by the result.
"I'm not surprised at all," Pascual said. "I think the November election was a springboard for what happened today. I had such a good response from the people that I knew the voters would speak today, affirming the great job we've done in a great team effort."
Sacco said there's now a big challenge facing the Board of Commissioners after the resounding victory.
"Whenever there's a mandate like this, it places the burden on the mayor and the commissioners to continue to move forward," Sacco said. "That will be our commitment over the next four years. They have placed the burden on us to make certain that taxes remain stable, that the streets remain clean and safe, that we continue to offer quality services. They want to live in a town that they are proud to live in, much like we're proud to live here."
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