Carnicella is Nutley Italian Man of the Year

Daniel A Carnicella was born in the Ironbound Section of Newark.

In 1989 his family moved to Nutley, where he attended Nutley High School and graduated in 1993. Daniel attended Essex County College and Kean University, earning a degree in criminal justice. Daniel currently resides in Nutley along with his wife Linda, daughter Chelsea and stepson Christian.

Daniel is an avid road cyclist and CrossFit coach at Golden Phoenix Nutley and CrossFit Cedar Grove.

In 2001, he began his career with New York Life Insurance Co. as a financial service representative helping individuals and businesses navigate the complex environment of insurance and investing.

In 2005, he opened DC Financial Group, Inc., located on Franklin Avenue in Nutley. In 2009 he expanded his practice to include property and casualty coverage and risk management services.

In August of 2022, Daniel accepted a promotion with New York Life and is now involved in the hiring, training and development of new financial representatives and wealth managers. He became a partner in the New Jersey General Office in April of 2023.

Daniel believes, as a people, we have a responsibility to put good in the world and has given back in many ways to his community of Nutley and many charitable organizations.

In 2013, he successfully secured an elected position on the Nutley Board of Education, holding several leadership roles throughout his nine-year tenure. Daniel coordinated a grant partnership with New York Life and Nutley Rotary to support bereavement counseling for district students and families. He finished his third term in 2022 and focused on his new role with New York Life. Aside from his time on the Board of Education, he is the current president of Nutley UNICO, an Italian–American service organization promoting Italian culture and heritage and raising funds to support local scholarships and community service opportunities.

He is also a member and past president of Nutley Rotary and a member of Nutley Elks which also supports our local community. In 2020, Daniel and his family aligned with A New Chance Rescue as a foster family for dogs in need of their forever homes.

Daniel’s roots stem from the Lantina region of Italy. Surrounded by the essence of Italian culture and heritage there is always time dedicated to family traditions that include making “Salsa in Agosto,” “Vino a Settembre” and “Salsiccia a Gennaio.”

Frances Bacardi

Born and raised in Newark to first-generation Italian parents, Frances Bacardi has always been surrounded by rich Italian culture.

She left the nest to attend Boston College, where she received a bachelor of science in accounting before moving to New York City to work in banking.

Eventually, Frances made her way back to New Jersey –and her Italian parents – where she went to work for her father, James Cicenia, at Elgate Corp. in Lyndhurst.

Upon her father’s retirement, Frances immersed herself in even more Italian culture by working at her family’s furniture and appliance store, The 8 Ciccolini Brothers, in Nutley.

Throughout all these significant milestones, Frances raised two daughters surrounded by their Italian village. She required them to attend Sunday dinners weekly to immerse them in family, food and culture.

Her daughter Francesca went on to write her college application essay about the importance of Sunday dinner, which landed her at Boston College in Frances’ footsteps. Her older daughter, Isa, studied at George Washington University.

When her family decided to close their historic store, Frances moved to the Belleville Public Library to become the Interim Library Director. She works with the Friends of the Library to help raise money and oversees the building and grounds.

Frances is also in charge of making sure the library is stocked with a wide variety of books, scheduling monthly events including free English as a Second Language classes for adults.

She focuses on making the library a comfortable place for the community to come to relax, learn and enjoy what the library has to offer.

She is proud of her Italian heritage, culture and traditions.

Linda Monterosa was born in Newark on May 9, 1953, to Walter and Emma Tice, who have been married for 70 years.

Linda moved to Nutley when she was three years old, attended Radcliffe Elementary School, Nutley Middle School, and graduated from Nutley High School. She is also a graduate of Katharine Gibbs Business School.

Linda’s grandfather came to the United States when he was 2 years old from Calabria. He was the oldest of four siblings. She grew up with all the Italian customs which she still celebrates to this day. She loves hearing the family speaking in Italian because that was the only way to communicate with her great grandmother.

Linda was so thankful she had her in her life for 15 years and learned many Italian traditions from her.

Linda is a parishioner at St. Mary’s Parish where she made all her sacraments. She is a member of the Rosary Society and has been a first grade CCD teacher for many years.

Linda has been married to her husband, Lloyd, for 49 years. Together they have two children, Carmela and Anthony, and three grandchildren, Gianna, Nicholas and Jonathan. While her children were in school, she was a member of the PTA and a Brownie and Girls Scout leader. She was an office manager for 35 years and retired four years ago.

Linda and her husband have been members of Nutley Elks for 39 years. She was a member of The Livingston Does for 25 years, Nutley Women’s Club for 15 years and was a member of the Junior Women’s Club for five years.

Linda has been a lifetime resident of Nutley and she is very thankful her family chose this beautiful town of Nutley. Three generations of her family have been raised in Nutley and she is grateful watching her grandson grow up in this amazing town too.