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Hugo Cabrera to Become North Bergen’s Next Mayor
Hugo Cabrera, a North Bergen commissioner since 1999, is set to become the township’s first Hispanic mayor, succeeding Nicholas Sacco, who is retiring this month.
For Cabrera, a lifelong North Bergen resident whose parents immigrated from Colombia, the milestone is personal.
“He’s giving me the opportunity to become the first Hispanic mayor,” Cabrera said at the announcement. “My parents immigrated from Colombia. They would have never guessed that I would be, someday, the mayor of North Bergen.”
Cabrera opened his remarks with a tribute to Sacco, whom he has known for decades. “There’s no one that worked harder, and still works harder, than Mayor Sacco,” he said. “He was always there for the people, he was always doing what was right for the people, and he was always helping everyone.”
He said he first met Sacco as a young man and credited the mayor with giving him his start. Sacco asked him to join his ticket in 1999, and Cabrera called it the best decision he ever made. “I learned a lot from him,” he said. “I learned what public service is, and it was special.” Before his election, he served as chairman of the Municipal Utilities Authority.
Sacco returned the praise, calling Cabrera “one of my most loyal people all these years” and saying he had earned the job. “I have a lot of faith in what he will do for North Bergen,” the mayor said. “He has my full support and confidence.”
As commissioner of parks and public property, Cabrera has overseen the township’s fields, grounds, buildings and recreation programs, which the township says enroll thousands of children in youth sports. He oversaw construction of a new downtown park on Paterson Plank Road and the renovation of parks and fields, and the township’s new community center and library are under construction. A former recreation-league player, he has coached youth sports in town for years.
Cabrera also serves as secretary of the North Bergen Board of Education, handling official records and employment compliance. The district, under Superintendent George Solter, is carrying out a realignment plan meant to lower class sizes and add a new school.
Cabrera said he would continue to lean on Sacco. “No one could ever replace him,” he said, adding that he would keep calling the mayor for advice. He also thanked his family. “My wife puts up with a lot, my kids put up with a lot, even my grandkids put up with a lot,” he said.
He threw his support behind the mayor’s son, Nick Sacco Jr., to take over his parks and recreation portfolio. “I’ve actually met someone that has as much energy as the mayor has, and it’s obvious, because it’s his son,” Cabrera said. He said the other commissioners agreed: “No one better than Nick Sacco Jr. to be our next commissioner.”
As he prepares to take over the Department of Public Affairs, the mayor’s former post that runs most of North Bergen’s day-to-day government, Cabrera pledged to work with the governor, state legislators, the county and neighboring mayors. “We have to work together to make sure that we do what’s best for North Bergen,” he said. “We’re going to move North Bergen forward.”
The next municipal election is in May 2027.
