U.S. Senator Says Clark Mayor Should Resign After Using Racial Slurs

CLARK, NJ — U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is calling for Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso to resign, according to a statement he made Friday.

Following the release of an audio recording of Bonaccorso using offensive language, referring to Black people as "shines," "spooks" and the N-word, Menendez said Bonaccorso should "step aside" from his role as mayor.

"The language used by Mayor Bonaccorso is vile and has absolutely no place in our society," Menendez stated. "Our public officials should celebrate and welcome our state’s diversity instead of use their position to denigrate whole communities. The revelation of these tapes has made Mayor Bonaccorso’s core beliefs known and it is time for him to step aside so that dignity can be restored at City Hall and the families of Clark have the leadership they deserve."

Bonaccorso recently issued an apology to the Clark community via video message regarding his "hurtful and insensitive language."

Read more: Clark Mayor Issues Video Apology For Offensive Language

The mayor made no mention of stepping down in his apology.

Lieutenant Antonio Manata, the whistleblower who secretly recorded the mayor and turned in the tape, is now suing the Union County Prosecutor's Office. He claims that the office is retaliating against him for bringing the comments to light.

An investigation conducted by NJ.com found that Manata was paid $400K in legal settlement to avoid a lawsuit back in 2020.

The full controversy and investigation can be found on NJ.com.

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