NORTH BERGEN – Larry Wainstein is happy to talk about “real live” issues like property taxes, schools and parking woes in this congested Hudson County town.

But as he again tries to unseat Mayor Nick Sacco, that’s really a secondary concern. The main issue for Wainstein boils down to this – Sacco runs a political machine that cares only about doling out public jobs and contracts to its cronies. That’s it.

On one hand, there’s nothing new here. That’s not a criticism, it’s history. Elections in Hudson County – and it probably doesn’t matter when you begin the clock – often are a series of municipal candidates alleging that the folks in town hall are corrupt. Of course, this occasionally has been the case.

That said, Wainstein’s challenge is to appeal to voters who have nothing to do with the status quo. That means people who don’t have public jobs, or public contracts through the administration, and who don’t want any.

That’s harder than it seems. An entrenched political group controls a lot of jobs. Sacco is not only mayor, he’s also a state senator, and for years, he had an administrative job with the township school system.

Four years ago, Wainstein lost to Sacco by about 3,000 votes – 8,000 to 5,000. That was a campaign in which the Sacco team gave Wainstein the nickname of “Lying Larry.”  You can expect to hear that again as the mid-May commission election gets closer.

Wainstein says he take heart from the fact Sacco’s vote totals have been going down over the years. Sacco’s been in municipal office since 1985.

Earlier this month, the Sacco  team held a public celebration in town hall while turning in boxes of nominating petitions – more than 10,000 in all.

Sacco and his supporters described North Bergen as a kind of Shangri-La on the Hudson, a place where police are top-notch, the DPW is second to none and where kids always have recreational opportunities.

Wainstein counters that North Bergen may indeed be beautiful – but only for those running the show and their acolytes. He talks about crumbling parks, lax enforcement of housing standards and a poor school system.

He says property taxes can be reduced if the township stops giving out tax breaks. He may have a point here. A tax abatement is a way to encourage redevelopment and ratable growth. But many times, these breaks are given to politically-connected developers who really don’t need the help.

“You ask me how are we going to reduce property taxes?” He said. “We have to stop the land deals.”

Wainstein is a 48-year-old businessman whose family owned a liquor store in nearby Union City; now he said he’s involved in real estate and other businesses.

A controversial local issue are plans to build an electric generating plant in the northern end of the township. Supporters see this as a ratable boost and employment opportunity. But there also is much opposition, some of it coming from those living just over the town line in Bergen County.

Governor Murphy came to town last month to dedicate a new bridge and was met by protesters with signs reading, “Don’t Gas The Meadowlands.”

Wainstein is squarely in the opposition camp and is typically blunt about his feelings.

“It’s going to destroy lives,” he says. “No amount of money in the world is worth your health.”

A lot of what will happen campaign wise over the next two months seems to have its roots in what happened four years ago. Wainstein has a video library of sorts, detailing multiple occurrences of what he says was harassment. It does make for fascinating viewing.

Here’s Wainstein trying to pass out campaign literature at what he says was a “public health fair.”  The woman overseeing the event interceded and then police showed up.

Another scene is of Wainstein treating residents to ice cream; a Mr. Softie truck is clearly visible. Police again show up.

There is also a shot at what Wainstein says was a backyard barbecue in a private him. The video shows a man Wainstein described as a Sacco supporter being denied admission. Eventually, police are shown arriving. And there is more than one clip of Wainstein being denied admission into a housing authority building.

It certainly isn’t novel for those challenging the status quo in Hudson County politics to be harassed while campaigning. So, you get the impression Wainstein is prepared for whatever happens.

Four years ago, the Sacco team claimed Wainstein actually lived not in North Bergen, but in Franklin Lakes, a much more tonier locale in Bergen County. They even circulated a flier with photos of Wainstein’s alleged Bergen County home.

Wainstein shrugs that of.

“I live on 74th Street,” he said.

Yes, that is North Bergen — near the high school if you are wondering.