The fate of marijuana legalization could be in the hands of North Bergen Mayor/state Senator Nicholas Sacco (D-32).

Following a NJ.com report which stated North Bergen Mayor/state Senator Nicholas Sacco (D-32) is “willing to consider decriminalization,” but not ready to vote “yes” on legalization, HudPost reached out to Sacco’s office seeking further comment.

“Senator Sacco has not yet taken a position on marijuana legalization,” North Bergen spokesman Phil Swibinski wrote.

“He plans to discuss the issue with legislative sponsors, Governor Murphy and other key stakeholders to gather more information on the benefits and potential hazards of the plans being discussed in the coming weeks before any vote on the measure is held.”

Unlike Union City Mayor/state Senator Brian Stack (D-33), who offered a detailed opposition to legalization on Talk on The Hudson with Fernando Uribe, the statement on behalf of Sacco was certainly hazy.

In his inauguration speech, Gov. Phil Murphy declared “a stronger and fairer New Jersey embraces comprehensive criminal justice reform — including a process to legalize marijuana.”

Given that Stack doesn’t agree, will Sacco back Murphy up? Does he have enough political muscle left in him to secure votes in the NJ Senate?

The first 100 days of Murphy will be interesting.

Will the blunt words of a powerful Hudson County Democrat spark doom for Murphy’s campaign promise of marijuana legalization in the Garden State?

“I’m not really in favor of [marijuana legalization],” said Union City Mayor & state Senator Brian Stack. “The reason I am not in favor of legalization is I don’t know what kind of a message that sends to the children.”

Stack discussed the topic of marijuana reform on the weekly Talk on the Hudson with Fernando Uribe.

From his perspective as mayor, Stack added “when you look at the quality of life improvements we made in Union City, which is closing down bad liquor establishments, not allowing people to drink on the corner and urinate on the corner. And then, I think about the prospect of legalization of marijuana, and right now, unless I can be convinced otherwise, I’m not really in favor of it.”

With Governor Phil Murphy hours away from swearing-in, Stack’s opposition to legalized marijuana poses a serious political dilemma.

For those unaware, given his voter turnout operation in Union City, Stack is one of the most powerful politicians in New Jersey. He was the Democrat that flexed political muscle and passed the Christie agenda, then endorsed the 2013 reelection of the “greatest governor New Jersey’s ever had.”

State Senator/Mayor Stack may never lose reelection, his opposition will likely paint him as out of touch with an electorate supportive of legalization. Will Murphy use marijuana as part of a power play against entrenched machines in the New Jersey Senate?

Only time will tell, but if Murphy doesn’t pass marijuana his credibility with millennials may go up in smoke.

HudPost’s 2018 North Bergen Power List focuses on the pending transition of power within the North Bergen political machine.

This is HudPost’s second annual North Bergen Power List.

1. Anthony Vainieri, Freeholder (+1)

Haters are going to hate, but you can only lead a thirsty person to the pond at James J. Braddock Park – you can’t force them to drink from it!

Vainieri, who sets the legislative agenda for Hudson County as Chairman of the Board of Freeholders, is number one on the 2018 power list because this is a forward-thinking website and it appears the future of North Bergen is in Anthony’s hands.

2. Nicholas Sacco, Senator & Mayor (-1)

The Godfather – Sacco’s ring has been kissed so many times it would make the Pope blush.

If there was a Hall of Fame for powerful New Jersey politicians, Sacco wouldn’t just be first-ballot HOFer, he’d have his own permanent exhibit. The legend himself still runs North Bergen with an iron fist while simultaneously pushing the levers of power in Trenton – including backroom deals that made his LD-32 running-mate, Vincent Prieto, Speaker of the NJ Assembly (until recently).

As rumors persist that Sacco is ready to hand the keys of the North Bergen political machine to his former driver, we’re moving him down to 2.

3. Julio Marenco, Commissioner (+3)

Marenco, a military veteran, has served as the youngest commissioner in North Bergen’s history, a member of the New Jersey state parole board and Sacco’s intern before becoming President of the Board of Education.

It’s rumored that, in a post-Sacco world, Marenco may serve as a state senator for LD-32. Although, given North Bergen’s changing demographics, and his stellar record – should he be Mayor Marenco?

4. Vision Media – Paul & Phil Swibinski, Juan Pablo Escobar, Township Spokesmen (+1)

Let’s get straight to the point – whether it’s yesterday, today, or tomorrow – Vision Media has a stranglehold on the information being decimated to the public in North Bergen.

Given that HudPost is the only media source covering North Bergen news that hasn’t been financially intertwined with Vision Media, we pride ourselves on providing authentic NB stories they don’t want you to see.

5. Robert Dowd, Police Chief (-2)

North Bergen Police Chief Robert Dowd moves down two spots on our list, but at least he’s not facing prison time like ex-Jersey City Police Chief Philip Zacche.

6. North Bergen Federation of Teachers (*)

They stood up, stood strong and stood united!

Elizabeth Lynch, President of the NBFT, in solidarity with the NB community and our amazing teachers, fought anti-teacher politics and ultimately scored a win for the people who make our public schools great.

Also, she rightfully put number ten in his place.

7. Aimee Focaraccio, Community Organizer (*)

The only individual woman on our power list, Focaraccio is a force to be reckoned with because of her following with younger NB generations.

Aimee is a prominent and active community organizer, her list of official titles include; North Jersey lead of the New Jersey Young Democrats Policy Committee, Director of NB C.A.R.E.S, and North Bergen Committeewoman.

Maybe she could bring a millennial voice to the older, nearly all-male Hudson County Board of Freeholders if/when Vainieri moves to higher office – inspiring other young women to become politically active locally.

8. Ramy Gabr, Online Personality (*)

We’re not just hyping our own guy, Ramy Gabr is the clear pick at number 8. As host of ‘Ramy Walks the Beat’, he’s attracted tens of thousands of viewers to his video specials covering NB for HudPost.

Mixing humor and the element of surprise, Ramy has educated and empowered everyday residents to spark and amplify conversation in our community. He’s also interviewed mayors, state senators, the next lieutenant governor, NBA/NFL athletes, and an award-winning author among others.

9. Fernando Uribe, Political Personality (*)

One thing you can’t say about Uribe is that he’s politically correct. Other than that, we’re sure people say a lot of things about him because controversy is his middle name. As North Bergen politics heats up in 2018, we have a feeling Uribe’s talk show will be stirring the pot.

10. Larry Wainstein, Business Owner & 2015 Mayoral Candidate (-2)

Larry Wainstein has proven to be the biggest joke in North Bergen politics. If this list was Top Ten People Wasting Money in Hudson County politics, he’d easily take spots 1-5. His recent slate of BOE candidates losing to not only the Sacco machine, but independent candidates, might be number six on that list.

Yet Wainstein persists, and continues to make it rain – guaranteeing him a spot on the list until he stops.

Honorable Mentions; Edgar Santillan, Dr. George Solter, Denis Jaslow, John Heinis, John Bender, Hugo Cabrera

Governor

Winner: Phil Murphy (D)

The guy who is gonna legalize weed? Yes, that guy.

After 8 years of having an infamous celebrity in the Governor’s mansion, the future seat is seemingly quite the opposite. Long gone, will be the days of having a nationally televised leader who will be yelling, “shut up!”, or hugging it out with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Former Ambassador to Germany under President Obama, Phil Murphy, a multi-millionaire who accumulated his $50 million net worth during his career at Goldman Sachs, was able to breeze passed was what going to be a highly contested primary. Notably, Murphy’s candidacy was able to scare off NJ state Senate President Steve Sweeney and even the most young & promising Jersey politician, Steven Fulop.

By characterizing his main opponent Kim Guadagno as an extension of Trump & Christie (who both have incredibly low favorability ratings in NJ) Murphy has positioned himself as the obvious choice. Even securing appearances and endorsements from former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and former VP Joe Biden.

HudPost can predict a victory with about 80% confidence.

Loser: Kim Guadagno (R)

Although there will be more than 2 candidates on the ballot, the one who will really be disappointed is, Kim Guadagno. Kim has been unable to differentiate herself from the person she served under as Lt. Governor. To further illustrate the comparison, her camp even took a page from the Trump strategy and targeted “Sanctuary Cities” as a hot policy topic.

So if you’re #AllinforKim, chances are you are playing a losing hand.

State Senator

Winner: Nicholas J. Sacco (D)

As Frank Dukes would call him, “legendary” political leader Nicholas Sacco is entering his 8th senate election with a motivated and unified Democratic Party. His closest election was in 1997 and since then, he has dominated. This election all eyes are on Murphy/Kim so don’t expect much to change with Sacco’s seat.

We at HudPost predict a Sacco victory with 100% confidence.

Loser: Paul Castelli (R)

This is Paul’s 2nd shot at the 32nd Legislative District and it does not look promising. In 2013, Castelli secured 8,542 votes against Sacco’s 20,000+ voter turn out (which happen to be Sacco’s best performance since 2001).

Given that little information exists, Paul may be running to scrape whatever republicans exist in the area in hopes to give Guadagno a boost in her election.

Assembly

Winner: Vincent Prieto (D) & Angélica M. Jimenez (D)

Depending on how we are measuring wins and losses, we can call Prieto and Jimenez technically “the winners,” however, Prieto will be re-entering the assembly in a much different role.

After serving as the Speaker for 3 years, it is said that Assemblyman Craig Coughlin has enough votes to become the Speaker of the House in January. This gives the Hudson County democrats less pull when it comes to pushing legislation.

We’ll call these victories with 100% confidence.

Loser: Ann M. Corletta (R) & Bartholomew Talamini (R)

Let’s admit it…it’s hard being a republican in Hudson County, but Ann & Bartholomew are trying. Both are Edgewater residents and it seems like they are going to focus on the affluent waterfront while Prieto/Jimenez rely on the political machine backed by one of the strongest lobbies in NJ; the NJEA.

Corletta & Talamini didn’t crack 1000 votes in the primary and let’s be real…has anyone heard of them? We’re being serious, we can’t even find a picture.

Freeholder

Winner: Anthony Vainieri (D)

The future is endless as incumbent Vainieri enters his 1st re-election campaign. The tides have calmed after a fairly contested election back in 2012. He was also elected chairman of the board amongst his peers during his first term.

His popularity is growing notably coordinating the sale/purchase of Hudson County’s High Tech High School and converting it into the new North Bergen High School. He further brought back the annual Hudson County Fair, Farmers’ Markets, and unique events like a classic car and bike show.

Given that Vainieri has no opponent this election, we at HudPost predict a Vainieri victory with 100% confidence (brave, right?).

Loser: NB Mayoral Opposition 2019 & 2023

Ok, so no one is running against Vainieri. This sends a strong message to the voters of North Bergen. Anthony is young…in a political sense (sorry, you have some grey’s Ant) and his strong partnership with Sacco is leading some to question if AV is the future of North Bergen.

2017 was supposed to be another exciting election with what was looking like a partnership between Vainieri’s previous opponent Sgt. Henry Marrero and former Mayor Candidate Larry Wainstien. But right before April’s board of education election, the lifelong resident and police Sergeant seemed to disappear from the scene.

Since the freeholder seat primarily relies on the whole town of North Bergen, this would’ve been the time for Wainstein to piece together his base and flex the influence that he’s spent millions acquiring.

The election will be held Tuesday November 7th, 2017.

“Ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is a tragic, heartless decision that will hurt thousands of young men and women,” writes state Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco.

The statement comes after President Trump announced that he would end the DACA program.

DACA is an immigration policy founded by the Obama administration in June 2012 which allows certain illegal immigrants who entered the country as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit.

“I’ve met many of these kids here in our North Bergen schools, and they are some of the most inspiring and hardworking students I’ve ever seen,” writes state Senator and Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “The DACA program gives them the opportunity to work, attend college, pay taxes and contribute to our country and tearing that chance away from them would damage our economy and our society.”

“I sincerely hope that Congress will act to pass a legislative solution to protect Dreamers and correct this harmful action by President Trump.”

As many as 22,000 people in New Jersey are facing deportation following the end of DACA.