Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso has entered into a plea agreement with state prosecutors and will resign his seat, the New Jersey Globe has learned.
His resignation could come as early as tomorrow when he is scheduled to appear before a Superior Court Judge.
Bonaccorso was re-elected to a 7th four-year term on November 5 with 59% of the vote against Democratic challenger Michael Shulman.
Last November, Bonaccorso was charged with using township property and employees to run his landscaping business and filing forged permit applications in about two dozen towns to remove underground oil storage tanks. He also faces official misconduct charges for running a tank removal business out of the mayor’s office.
He also faced criticism for a series of racist rants. Clark paid a $400,000 settlement with a police lieutenant who secretly taped Bonaccorso using racial slurs against Black people. He apologized but refused to resign despite calls from Gov. Phil Murphy and Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) to do so.
He faces a mandatory five years in state prison, but a plea agreement signals that he will likely avoid that sentence. Bonaccorso is expected to face a lifetime ban on holding public office or receiving public contracts.
Council President Angel Albanese will become acting mayor until the Clark Republican County Committee can meet within two weeks of the resignation to submit three candidates for interim mayor. The all-Republican township council can either pick one of the names or return the list to the party organization to pick one.
The process must repeat itself in January after Bonaccorso declines to take the oath of office for a new term. A judge could order a special election in 45 to 50 days after Bonaccorso’s resignation.
Bonaccorso’s resignation will trigger a November 2025 special election to fill the unexpired term.