Sacco’s allies in Jersey City unintentionally laid the groundwork for his new district when they helped draft a letter by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop protesting splitting Jersey City into three legislative districts. That ultimately left the five-member Democratic redistricting delegation with no palatable options that didn’t involve putting Sacco and Stack together.

While a primary between the two would likely have been an epic fight, Sacco’s retirement was almost immediately expected.

Still, Sacco had bitter words for the redistricting commission, on which Democrats were led by State Democratic Chair LeRoy Jones.

“If anyone thought that they could weaken Hudson County by attempting to divide and conquer us they were sadly mistaken,” Sacco said.

Stack praised Sacco for “steadfast dedication to the people of Hudson County and to our Democratic Party” and pledged support for Sacco’s mayoral reelection in 2023.

“I appreciate his endorsement very much, and I plan to fully support him and his team in their local re-election campaign next year in North Bergen,” Stack said.

Stack is virtually assured victory in the district, which is one of the most heavily Democratic in the state.

Sacco’s history: Sacco was elected mayor of North Bergen in 1991 and entered the Senate in 1994. As a member of the upper house, he helped create the Urban Enterprise Zone program, which is intended to draw businesses to about three dozen municipalities — including North Bergen — through a number of tax benefits, including sales taxes that are half the state’s rate.

He also was a key player in cutting a deal with South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross to install former Assemblymember Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), a protege, as Assembly Speaker, ousting then-Speaker Sheila Oliver, who is now New Jersey’s lieutenant governor. Prieto held the position for two terms before he was ousted by the current speaker, Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex).

Sacco, a North Bergen school administrator, also became a poster boy for “double dipping,” in which public officials hold numerous jobs. Before his retirement in 2017, Sacco made nearly $270,000 from his school position, $49,000 as a state senator and $40,000 as mayor. Since retiring, he receives a $220,000 annual pension. (While New Jersey banned dual elected office-holding in 2007, Sacco and Stack were both grandfathered in.)

More recently, Sacco made headlines by holding up legislation that would end mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug and property crimes. At Sacco’s request, Senate Democrats quietly inserted an amendment that would also exempt official misconduct from mandatory minimum sentences, and later expanded that to other political corruption offenses — including offenses Walter Somick, the son of Sacco’s longtime girlfriend is charged with.

Sacco denied his amendment had anything to do with Somick.

What’s next: Hudson County View, a publication that focuses heavily on the county’s politics, reported that the deal between Stack and Sacco will include Sacco’s hometown of North Bergen getting a seat in the Assembly, while West New York will also be represented in the Assembly.

That likely leaves Assemblymember Pedro Mejia (D-Hudson) without support for reelection.