In a letter to the editor, Assemblyman Larry Wainstein (D-33) makes the case that North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco’s “self-serving political agenda” is why the township lost millions in state aid. What Sacco failed to acknowledge is that his self-serving political agenda is the root cause of why this occurred. Influence and discretionary resources in Trenton depend on strong working relationships with the governor’s administration and the Democratic legislative majority. Those efforts were unsuccessful, but further damaged Sacco’s relationships within the Democratic party. That is because Sacco’s political positioning repeatedly takes precedence over the consistent advocacy and partnership required to secure discretionary resources from Trenton.