Essex County Honors Attorney, Mayor At Italian American Heritage Month Event

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A real estate attorney and a local mayor were honored as part of the 2025 Essex County Italian American Heritage Month celebration on Tuesday.

The annual event took place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building in Newark. Two high-achieving community members – Francis Giantomasi of GSC Law in Roseland, and Annette Romano, the Mayor of Millburn – were presented with Stellas della Contea di Essex” (Stars of Essex County).

According to a county news release, the honor recognizes Romano and Giantomasi for their “commitment to improving the lives of all residents and their community involvement.”

“Today, we are honoring two proud Italian Americans who have positively impacted our world and our County,” Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“Frank Giantomasi and Annette Romano each have made an impact on their communities and have continuously improved the quality of life for our residents,” he added.

“Italian heritage is a story about courage, family and pride,” Giantomasi said. “We honor the past not by living in it – but by building on it.”

The county provided the following background about each honoree:

ANNETTE ROMANO – Annette Romano, ranking member of the five-member Millburn Township Committee, is a lifelong resident deeply committed to the Millburn/Short Hills community. With more than 30 years of volunteer service, she has played an active role in local schools and parent-teacher organizations, always striving to strengthen community connections and support residents in need. Throughout her years of service, Romano has chaired the school district’s community outreach initiatives, organizing food and toy drives and supporting the Millburn/Short Hills chapter of the American Red Cross. She later served as Director of Health & Safety for the organization and went on to found and continues to manage the community food pantry, a vital resource that provides assistance and nourishment to local families. Her leadership reflects a lifelong dedication to compassion, service, and the well-being of her neighbors.

FRANCIS GIANTOMASI – Francis J. Giantomasi is one of New Jersey’s foremost real estate attorneys, with more than four decades of experience in real estate acquisitions, development, complex commercial transactions, and Chancery litigation. A recognized authority in planning, zoning, and tax abatement law, he has served as Chief Development Counsel for several of the state’s most significant projects, including Prudential’s and Panasonic’s Newark headquarters, Lionsgate Newark Studios, and Netflix’s production campus at the former Fort Monmouth Army base. Giantomasi has a long record of public service, having served as Chief Counsel to the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders (now called the Board of Commissioners) and as County Counsel from 1992 to 2005. In 2017, he was appointed to Governor Phil Murphy’s Transition Counsel Committee. A graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was named Distinguished Graduate in 2025, he previously clerked for Essex County Assignment Judge Arthur J. Blake and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Newark Beth Israel Hospital.

The Essex County Italian Heritage Celebration is part of a year-long series of programs that aim to raise awareness about and celebrate the diversity of Essex County.

• See Related: Italian Heritage Month In Essex County: Local Leaders, Groups Honored

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