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Bonaccorso announced he is running for a 7th term on the Republican ticket, along with his slate on the township council, Angel Albanese, Jimmy Minniti and William Smith. Bonaccorso has served as mayor since 2001.
Last November, Bonaccorso was charged with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping company to remove underground tanks, State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
Bonaccorso, 63, used township employees to help him run his private business, Bonaccorso and Son LLC, along with township devices like computers and fax machines, Platkin said following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau.
While running his business, Bonaccorso posed as an engineer, using his name, license number and forging his signature on permit applications submitted to towns for underground tank removals, Platkin said. Bonaccorso did not have the necessary licenses to do underground tank removals, Platkin said.
Bonaccorso has maintained he is innocent of the charges and his attorney, Robert Stahl, said he intends to fight to clear his name and reputation.
"Sal is a dedicated public servant, a part time Mayor who spends an enormous amount of time making Clark a great place to live and work," Stahl said. "Mayor Bonaccorso has dedicated the past 20 plus years to the public good and intends to continue to do so. Mayor Bonaccorso loves the town and its citizens, and hopes to be reelected to complete the many programs that are in development."
Michael Shulman, who is running against Bonaccorso on the Democratic ticket, said he was both "shocked and not surprised" the mayor was running again.
"Someone who has violated the public trust with multiple offenses, racism, payoffs and alleged criminal conduct should be as far away as possible from public office," Shulman said. "His actions have besmirched the town he claims to love and his ego continues to create chaos in his wake."
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