James Cassella (Christopher Sadowski)
His town will be hosting the big game, but the mayor of East Rutherford isn’t feeling so super.
Sure the New Jersey burg is technically home to Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, but all the glory, hoopla — and frankly, much of the moolah — will go across the river, Mayor James Cassella lamented yesterday.
“The NFL would prefer to make this all about New York City,” he told The Post. “I’m sure the mayor of New York will be there. I’m sure he’ll have no problem going to the game. But I suspect I will be sitting in my recliner watching at home.”
Although the Meadowlands has hosted the pope, rock stars and presidents, East Rutherford and its mayor continue to suffer a Rodney Dangerfield existence, said Cassella, 64.
“It bothers me, but I’m not bitter,” he said. “Mostly, I’m just immune to it now.”
East Rutherford doesn’t even get respect in its own state.
When the Giants won the Super Bowl two years ago, Cassella wasn’t invited to the celebration.
But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who celebrated the Super Bowl selection yesterday by giving high fives to Jets center Nick Mangold and Giants guard Chris Snee, said the town would finally get its due.
“When the game comes on they are going to say live from East Rutherford, New Jersey,” Christie said. “The eyes of the entire world will be on New Jersey.”
It may really be a New York Super Bowl, but the mayor did concede the influx will help the fortunes of some businesses in town.
Local hot spots such as Tao’s restaurant, the Blarney Station and the Park Tavern “will do more business than “a typical February weekend,” he said.
But in general the Super Bowl will mostly generate traffic, he said.
“If the weather gets bad, then they will ask me to get involved — and we’ll be paying overtime to clean up the snow and never see anything for it,” Cassella said.