Before the now infamous $400,000 payout to Antonio Manata—which required the destruction of sensitive recordings involving the mayor—there was another significant payout that the public might not be as familiar with. In fact, the town quietly paid $375,000 to three officers, and, like the Manata case, it also involved the destruction of recordings.

These two cases show a clear and concerning trend of misconduct being handled behind closed doors, with expensive settlements that leave us wondering: What are we not being told? The people of Clark, NJ deserve leadership they can trust, but recent events have made it clear that Mayor Sal Bonaccorso’s time in office has been marked by costly mistakes and a troubling pattern of behavior.

When public funds—our taxpayer dollars—are used to settle these cases and wipe out evidence, it’s natural for residents to feel uneasy. These payouts aren’t just financial hits; they raise deeper questions about the leadership in our town. Why is there a need to destroy recordings? Why isn’t there more transparency about what took place?

These incidents are part of a larger, ongoing issue. It’s not just about one bad decision—it’s a series of avoidable actions that have repeatedly cost the town. There was even a harassment case in 2011 involving a $200,000 payout to a female officer. When these issues keep coming up, it shows a pattern that Clark simply cannot afford to ignore.

Nearly a million dollars in taxpayer money has gone to settle claims tied to misconduct, and that’s not even counting the legal fees we’ve paid to our own lawyers to defend these cases. This is money that could have been spent on improving our town—on projects that benefit all of us, rather than settling issues caused by poor leadership decisions.

When officers feel compelled to record behavior, it tells us there’s a serious problem with trust. This impacts not only the morale of those serving our community but also the ability to attract new talent to our police force. And, over time, it damages the reputation of Clark, a town that prides itself on being a great place to live and work.

We can’t move forward with this leadership. The pattern we’ve seen is clear, and without change, it’s hard to believe things will improve.

Clark deserves better, and it’s time to think seriously about the future of our town.