Interview 01: Anthony Romano

Interview 01: Anthony Romano

COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic, Hoboken, New Jersey

An oral history with Anthony Romano, of the Hudson County Commissioner's Office, regarding Hoboken's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as his personal experiences with it.

Hoboken Public Library

Hoboken Public Library

Recorded May 2, 2022

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English

Oral history

Digital audio file

00:31:32

AH: Thank you for joining us today for our oral history project. Please, can you state your name, age, your ethnicity, any other relevant information you wanted to share, and as well as today's date.

AR: Anthony Louis Romano. Born and raised in Hoboken. My grandparents came from Italy. So I'm a grandson of immigrants. Today's date is May 2nd, the year 2022.

AH: Thank you. So, you know, looking into your background, you're currently working at the Hudson County Commissioners. You're a former Hoboken police captain, a Hoboken Board of Education member. Your family has also been longtime local business owners. So you have a lot of perspective on this city, you know, so I feel like you can give us a lot of great insights. Anything that you feel like, you know, you have background with to share insights with?

AR: I'll go along with, you know, as you said, my family has business here, 64 years. I was lucky to be involved both as a teacher and member of the Hoboken Board of Ed. and at Saint Peters University, graduated, as well as a professor up there.

AH: And so just, you know, if you want to discuss a little bit your history with Hoboken even before the pandemic, some of the changes you've seen over time here.

AR: Ironically, I was born during the downturn, when Hoboken was going, the beginning of the downturn economically, where shipping was leaving Hoboken. And most of the factories and economy was changing, the coat companies. And, when I was younger, I remember Wonder Bread and Hostess Cake, and then they left, and Tootsie Roll and Bethlehem Steel and Ferguson Propeller. We were one of the last propeller-producing plants in the United States. And so many different things were invented in Hoboken.
And I seen a change where we went–I was born over Second and Hudson, which is now the Sushi House, which was Shanghai Lily's, which was a combination tavern/brothel. And, Hoboken–I had the good fortune of growing up on 10th and Willow, and it was a very diverse community, and I'm thankful for that, of many factory workers and, you know, sons and daughters of immigrants, second generation, Hispanic and Italian, Irish. There was a Yugoslavian at that time, which is now Croatian population. So it was–African American. Both my grandmothers lived in the Hoboken Housing Authority. So it was a very diverse community.
It was very strong spirited, but it was very poor at that time. And then the gentrification started to come in the mid to late 80s, and that's brought about the downturn to where Hoboken is now considered the city that it is with Jersey City that–the Gold Coast. And, obviously, there's no more manufacturing or factories, but...

AH: So where were you when the initial lockdown was announced in March of 2020, and what do you remember from that day and moment when, you know, the first inklings of the pandemic were...

AR: Kind of ironically, I–March 14th was the lockdown, if I'm correct. I, I–A day or two later, before any vaccines, I had COVID pneumonia–

AH: Oh.

AR: …which took two or three weeks to get over. My doctor at that time, Dr. Balacco–

AR: I wasn't at the [unintelligible 00:03:35]. I had to go to the hospital. But I was in different pain and fever and congestion. And a nurse friend of mine, who was struggling a lot in her facility with so many debts that were occurring, including her Menta nurse, who lives in Hoboken, Pam, who helped her, and Dr. Balacco took care of me and nursed me back to health. And, also, we seen the town completely shut down, the state shut down. And it was like a ghost town.

AH: So you were actually tested positive for it like right at the start–

AR: I was sick. We didn't know what it was. And then the doctor–

AH: Yeah.

AR: …told me it was COVID pneumonia.

AH: Yeah. Wow.

AR: Dr. Balacco.

AH: After you recovered, were you able to work from home–

AR: Yes.

AH: …after that?

AR: Yes. And we continued at the county. The county was very important. It provided many resources to all the municipalities in the county, and especially for me, Hoboken. And since I represent Hoboken and Jersey City, I was in tune to everything that's going on, the coordination with the administration, which was important to ensure, that, you know, to sanitize the food. We had to make sure that food was delivered to those in need, the elderly. And those, and the Housing Authority, the food pantry. Toni Tomarazzo was a big help in that regard. Mayor Bhalla and his administration, Director Gonzalez, Pellegrini, ensuring when the vaccine come out, we have our county site. And Carrie Nawrocki, who was the head of Hudson County Regional Health, we set up our site in the Juneau Center for people to also be vaccinated.

AH: And how was it, like, you know, starting to–You couldn't go out in the community. You were at home a lot. How was that for you? Like, you know, how did you adjust to that? You know, any specific challenges you faced?

AR: You know, it's a big adjustment. Obviously, when–especially for myself when I go to many different functions, events, both in the law enforcement world and in the–you know, the political realm, it was–it was–it was definitely something different. You learned how to work virtually…which was never done before. And to make sure - working virtually to ensure that county services were provided to ensure that our citizens, especially with the masks–when the masks came out and people were trying to help, how to organize and make sure there wasn't a shortage. And everyone that, that needed a mask or sanitizer got it.

AH: Did you–Do you use, like, technology like Zoom a lot?

AR: Yes.

AH: Or, you know–

AR: Yes. Yes. And when–whenever possible, to meet with those that are giving to, you know, coordinate whenever it was possible.

AH: Yeah.

AR: It wasn't on many occasions. But, obviously, when the trucks were coming down with food and that, there has to be some interaction. And I think it was important to, to learn virtual. It's now part of a virtual world. You know.

AH: You know, so you kind of had an essential job, but you were able to do a lot of it from home. Anybody else in your household, were they–other members of your household working from home? Or, you know, did you know other people, you know, working from home or doing schooling from home?

AR: That's an interesting point. My goddaughter, Caitlin Layson, is a teacher in Connors, so she had to adjust to try to teach, uh…remotely. It was an interesting learning experience, I'm sure, for all the teachers. But just to make sure that there was some kind of education going on and it wasn't a complete stop - which is very important. For myself, I live alone, but my son also is a supervisor up in the county in charge of outdoor facilities. Obviously, what are we doing? Nobody's going outdoors. There was no congregating anymore, so he had to learn to work virtually, also, but at the same time take care of the facilities, not let them go into disrepair. And many other friends. Police department–A lot of the police officers, the sheriff's officers had to acclimate themselves to working in this new environment. Business people from the financial center, a lot of customers from my family's business, now they–you know, they couldn't come and congregate and come together. So the social–socialization aspect had been taken away.

AH: And did you find yourself using Zoom or any of those other things to stay in touch with family and friends as well or–

AR: Constantly.

AH: Yeah.

AR: Constantly. Constantly using Zoom. Zoom became–As a matter of fact, every day–every day, uh–We're using it every day for so many different things. Personal business. And, you know, people still needed your help. Thank God for the cell phones and the ability on the–on the Zoom.

AH: Yeah, I don't know what we would have done without modern technology.

AR: Oh.

AH: Did you have difficulties obtaining any supplies, including things like medications, cleaning supplies, in the early days of the pandemic, or did you know people that you had to help get supplies to?

AR: Well, we tried to help people. I mean, we were very thankful and grateful for those that contributed these such important items as the gloves, as the sanitizer, as, you know, the masks. Everybody in the beginning, the masks were the big thing. And we make sure we–that–In the beginning there was a shortage in trying to get the masks and to get through that shortage. So to provide was important, whether–you know, with the county, with the county workers, the building still has to be cleaned. And the workers were worried, and everybody was becoming, you know, how do we catch this? This was before the vaccine. So it was very–I think it, it was very hard for a lot of people. And some had a hard time coping with it.

AH: Yeah. And did you feel like part of the, you know, like, job for the county, then, and the, you know, leadership here was not just getting supplies, but also just, you know, helping people deal with the situation? And, you know, how do you think you all helped–

AR: Very good question.

AH: …with that?

AR: You know, that–And now we're seeing it even to this day, the availability of the social services for people to talk to, for the elderly that were constantly locked in, where they couldn't do their Bingo, for those children that now are not socially interacting. And I think that the county did the best that they could with the services, that they were in their working with our Office of Emergency Management, with the Office of Emergency Management, in Hoboken with Director Will Montanez. And I think that that was so important to ensure people that there was some communication and that we're going to get the masks to you. We're going to get the sanitizer to you. And especially those that need us the most, especially in the senior citizen buildings.

AH: No, that's great. Now, you know, some people were making, like, their own supplies and their own masks. Did you, you know, do anything like that with your–any of your family? You know, did they do anything volunteering or–

AR: Yes. Yes, I know, again, there were certain–Like Pam, the nurse, I know she was making masks and also for St. Francis, with the St. Francis volunteers. They were doing a lot. I think that Brian McDonough, the head of security at CarePoint, and Ann Logan, were just fantastic helping the community. And it should be–You know, it should be mentioned that they did a great job.

AH: Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, for yourself, were you going out to get groceries, or did you have supplies delivered in to you, you know, and what was that experience like?

AR: I was fortunate. I go to Aspen. You know, I know certain of my, my–of tenants in the building, they would get food brought in. I just walked over to Aspen, which was very–they were open. They had good supplies. And, you know, obviously, for an example, Court Street, all the restaurants couldn't have anybody in, but they were to go. So I would go to Court Street on, on Tuesdays. In fact, when I was sick, I have to compliment the owner of Court Street. He delivered his meatloaf to me–

AH: Oh, that's–

AR: …just to try to get me to eat when I had no appetite and loss of smell, and it was–it was crazy. And, O'Neill's, Moran's, all in the area, you know, so there was–there was access. Thank God that they were all cooking, and they all chipped in. It showed a great community spirit of what people can do during tough times.

AH: Yeah, that was one of the things that with COVID that you'd lose your sense of smell.

AR: Oh.

AH: So how long did that last for you?

AR: My left lobe of my lung was–stayed with congestion for six months.

AH: Wow.

AR: My sense of smell still isn't fully back. And, it–Then I got COVID again just before this Christmas. But, obviously, good fortune with the vaccinations and the booster, it was just more of a congestion, a cold, than it was when I first had it, which was intense pain in the head. You know, and so it – It was definitely –Yeah, I still have to be careful. It's still out there. You know. Especially I had been a little immune–immunocompromised from a previous health issue.

AH: Yeah. So did you leave the city at any point to go somewhere else? You know, did you–You know, like I know some people were, you know, maybe having to go, like, with various relatives or anything, or were you in Hoboken the whole time?

AR: That's a very good question, because so many people–so many people I know went to their summer homes and stayed there for months.

AH: Yeah.

AR: And still have not returned. I know Realtors that are still down the shore to their homes either in the mountains or, you know, a lot of people are up in Crystal Springs or down in some of the shore towns. There was a tremendous–a lot of people that left. I stayed.

AH: And what, what would you say to those people? Would you–You would encourage them to come back now?

AR: Oh, definitely.

AH: Right?

AR: Definitely. Because–And you can see it in New York. If we don't get New York going economically by people getting into New York, because it's a domino theory of effect, it gives business to the restaurants. It–Whether it be the dry cleaners or whether it be any of the convenience stores. If people don't go back, Hoboken, Jersey City, New York, they're all going to suffer economically, and it's going to work in reverse. So it's important–I believe the message is so let's get back as best as we can with, obviously, all the precautions and social, you know, safety concerns. But you do have to eventually–And with children in the schools. You have to have social interaction with children so they learn from each other, they get to know each other, play with each other, and respect each other.

AH: What precautions, you know, in your workplace do they take to keep you safe? And, you know, what would you encourage other people to do to keep safe now?

AR: Well, you know what I learned? I mean, obviously, the CDC guidelines, but I think it's important that constant hand washing. Constant sanitizing. And the masks at that time until it was–until the government allowed–They said that you can step away. And a lot of people still wear the masks. It's optional. And those precautions. And to constantly be educated whenever guidelines are put out by the federal government, the state government, county government, city government. It's important, too, for everyone to be educated on that and make sure, whether it be on social media locally or on our national media.

AH: How did the pandemic affect your family's business and the businesses of your Hoboken colleagues?

AR: That's another good question. March 14th to June 14th we were completely closed. Then a decision was made that there could be outdoor or to go. And to the local leadership, county leadership, Hoboken is unique in that there's many county streets in Hoboken. There was an allowance for outdoor dining, for outdoor, – excuse me – outdoor availability to take drinks to go. And I think that was a very important and very proactive decision made, and, you know, because businesses were going to go completely caput. The small business assistance loans were very helpful through, again, the county and the state and the city. And Mayor Bhalla I think, you know, encouraged that with the outdoor dining, which proved to be a home run. People tried–For the first time you had outdoor heaters. You had–People were eating in the cold.

AH: Yeah. The spaces that they created–

AR: Yes.

AH: …were amazing.

AR: Yes. So that was–That was a blessing. And that started the beginning. Then it went from just the outdoors to a controlled number in your establishment to keep a social distance, which was summer, which was hard, but at least it could be accomplished.

AH: And have you seen, you know, things return more to normal now, do you think, or are things still a little bit different from what they were before?

AR: Well, ironically, I think for a lot of the young–I guess when we're all young, we think we're invincible. For the young people, it's a return to normalcy completely. They're all hanging out and, you know, enjoying, whether it be restaurants or bars. So I think for–I think the next generation after the young generation, it starts to get a little more conservative and careful. And that's obvious that's the way things are naturally. I think there's a certain segment of the population that is still very wary to be around people. And that can wear masks. And yet you can see with the young people that no masks and just, you know, don't worry about social distancing.

AH: And, you know, do you think that Hoboken's history allowed it to face the pandemic more strongly than some other places? You know, some of what makes this town unique? How do you think that affected Hoboken?

AR: I think this is a unique county. It's probably the most diversified county in the United States for the small number of area. And I think that there's been so many traumatic events that happened here historically, especially in Hoboken and Jersey City are, you know, are very in tune because of their proximity to New York. And I think that the strength and history of this community and through all its different variations of populous–you know, through all the irradiation–iterations and that they have shown a resiliency to rebound. I mean, there was Sandy–Superstorm Sandy recently. And historically there was you know, during World War I, when Hoboken became a military district. Then after World War II and into the late '50s when Hoboken saw the downturn, as did Jersey City, to rebound and to come back. And I think there–that you'll always see that, that historically this county and Jersey City and Hoboken, the Mile Square, that it is, the Miracle Mile, as they used to call it, will always–will always steadfast come through tough times.

AH: What changes do you think that Hoboken has had since the pandemic?

AR: You know, this is–One thing [from] my perspective, I would hope to think that people are more nicer to one another. It doesn't seem that way. And maybe from being constantly cooped up for all that time period–there's anger management issues. You could see on TV different issues. I think that people have to hold on to their faith, whichever their faith is, and to try to learn to get along with one another and, again, to social–I think the socialization process has to come back, where, you know, we all are in this together. And I know that up at the county, we work well with Hoboken, and I think that that's important, the collaboration of all the officials, Hoboken, Hudson County, to ensure that those that need us the most get what they need is so important. And it's not about any individual. It's got to be a team effort. And that's what makes this city great. I think a lot of people stepped up. All the religion communities, whether it be the synagogue, whether it be the Catholic Church, whether it be the Muslim community, they all stepped up to help out. And we should follow the lead that they have. And all different levels of government need to work together.

AH: And do you think there's anything the library could do to help the community? How do you think we could be involved? Any suggestions?

AR: From the beginning of history, beginning to the founding of this country, the importance of libraries cannot go unnoticed. It's kind of ironic, because with all the technological advances, even myself, I have books in my basement, a ton of books, and I offer to the library. They don't want–You know, for example, textbooks and encyclopedias are–Nobody uses them anymore. And we have to remember the importance of the library for so many community important events that happen here. It's a hub and a place for important events to take place. I know it means–Interesting, one of your directors on the library, JoAnn Serrano. Interesting history there. Interesting history, she's a, – Her father was a Lehbrink. Her mother was a McFeely, going back to a great part of Hoboken's history. The library has so much to offer. I'm always a staunch supporter of the library. And I think that it has to be the one to be the keeper of the–of the records of what transpired during this point in time, both written and both orally.

AH: Thank you. You know, do you have any predictions for what you see as maybe the future of Hoboken now?

AR: You know, there's four big projects that are–have been on hold, some for many years. And I think that you can't stunt the growth of a community, of a city. This is a city. We talked about the Rockefeller property down the one end of town. You have the possibility of the health–Well, not the possibility; it's been approved–the Hilton Hotel, the Observer Highway corridor, the Academy Bus property. I think that Hoboken needs this growth for ratables and to continue to grow. For those people that don't understand that, you have to have growth. Historically it's been proven. This is a city, which means it has the benefits of being an urban setting and, sometimes, the negatives of an urban setting. And it has its uniqueness, Hoboken. And we hope to keep that uniqueness. But at the same time, you do need to grow so you can grow economically. And that's another important aspect, to support local business. And it all ties into what's happened with this pandemic.

AH: Do you think the pandemic has changed anything about the way you look at the future of the city, or you think it was just kind of like a temporary moment and then we're moving forward again?

AR: I think there's going to be some lasting effects. For example, I know now between the Whole Foods deliveries, Amazon, FedEx, you can see constantly the Amazon trucks. I think a lot of people now don't shop except online. I think the malls maybe are going to have an issue in the near future. Hopefully local businesses don't suffer like that. But, I mean, people order–I see it with my tenants and neighbors. Constantly there's–Every day there's packages that would never–It was never like that before the pandemic. So that's a big–I don't know, a big question mark to see what the future brings. Maybe a change. And we can withstand the change and adapt, hopefully we can, but we do have to keep the storefronts and the businesses going. We can't just be all restaurants and taverns and bars.

AH: And anything else you'd like to mention about Hoboken related to the pandemic or your personal experiences that you think would be important for people to hear about as well as future generations?

AR: I'm very proud of the way the Hoboken government responded, Hudson County government. I'm proud of the way the different religious groups and many people, the food pantry, that stepped up, the volunteerism, whether it be in the city–I know from the county workers, getting the food, bringing it down. And the most important thing is the collaboration and, and working with each other to get–People want problems solved. Results. We have to be result driven. And I think that's another important aspect of what we learned in the pandemic. And it's just we got to–I just have to believe and have faith that people have to learn to be nicer to each other, to respect. It seems that there's more–We have here in Hoboken since the pandemic, too, an increase in the homeless population. And Jackie does a great job at the shelter, and many people give. I know the St. Mary's Advocates, also, with their thrift store, they raise money to help those in need. But hopefully that we learned from the pandemic and that people will listen to the medical professionals to try to keep the spread to a minimum. But we're not completely out of it yet. But through, hopefully, the vaccines–And the animus that came from those people that believe in the vaccines and those that were against the vaccine, that's tragic when you see that kind of, you know, animus.

AH: And was there anything that you could – you felt from what you did with the county that you'd encourage the vaccine? I think, you know there was a lot of outreach efforts I know in Hoboken to talk to people about it.

AR: You know, again, with a lot of the young people, I know that I've spoken to who are against–Not against the vaccine. They say, "Well, that's for you older people. That's for those people that have different issues, heart problems or cancer. But, fine, we had it. It was like having the cold or the flu." So I respect, but they have to realize that they can bring it home to their parents or to spread to others. So there's definitely–And everybody–Everyone, including those of us that got vaccinated, are worried about the future effects because we don't know.

AH: Yeah.

AR: We don't know. And as I said, I was skeptical, but, you know, you're getting all these vaccines. But there has to be a constant research and education. You might not know for another 20, 30 years if there's any effects. But at the same time, if you didn't get it–I know certain people that didn't get it, and they were young, fairly young, and they didn't have any perceivable problems healthwise, and they were in very bad shape.

AH: Yeah.

AR: You know, so many people died. And so, you know, where is the balance? I respect everybody's opinion, but I encourage vaccination. You know. For young people as yourself, that's your option. For you know, older people I think that–And those that are doing–I know there was a big…with police officers and firefighters that didn't want it. Didn't want it. You know, that's a tough thing about forcing. I know New York they said you have to do it or else you were going to lose your job.

AH: So anything else you'd like to share with us?

AR: Well, I, I appreciate the–as I said, the opportunity to speak here with you all. And I think it's important what you're doing, and to keep people remembering these tough times that we went through so no one forgets and they can pass it on. And that the precautions needed to try to prevent another outbreak need to be adhered to and that at the same time–I can't say it more and more–people have to just learn to hopefully respect each other. And if you need help, there's so many mental health services that are out there now, social services, that are available to many people. They should take advantage of it because we all have a breaking point; and, and being, you know, locked in like that for such a long period of time, it's hard on some people. Some people can't take that strain.

AH: Yeah.

AR: And I think that the library, it's very important to be the keeper of this–of these memories, a keeper of the stories of what went on, how–what people–different people experienced, how government reacted. So there is–We can always look back and not repeat–history doesn't repeat itself. Well, the Hoboken Public Library stated that this, this, and this happened, so we don't want that to happen again.

AH: Yeah. And, you know, during this, a lot of times we were looking back at a hundred years before this, when there was the influenza–really bad influenza outbreak, you know, and what they were dealing with. So, you know, I don't–I hope that we never have anything like this again, but there's a good chance that we could 100, 200 years in the future. And if somebody at that point is listening to this interview, what would you want to say to those people that are going through something like that again?

AR: Hopefully that all different levels of government work together for the good of the people, and I pray that people learn to work together and not panic. Panic seems to cause chaos. And to work the problem and solve the problem, be proactive and be result driven and keep the egos in check, and research. Always, always fund research so–to prevent any, any future pandemics and, hopefully to ensure that this never happens again.

AH: And I think that's about it. But, you know, anything else that you'd like to share before we wrap up?

AR: I think it's imperative that those elected to office or those involved in government remember why they're put there and that they're going to have to sacrifice. Remember, we had–when we had the 9/11, when we went over and all, and I think that that comes with the territory, that we have to be out in the forefront to help and, and to ensure that people are calm and informed.

AH: Thank you.

AR: No, thank you.

AH: And thank you so much for joining us. And, you know, you've had so much great insight into what went on in, in the town. Thank you.

AR: It's an honor and an honor and pleasure to be here. Anything I can do in the future at any time, please feel free to call. As I said, the library is extremely important historically and for all the work that yous do. And I'm glad to support any way I can help.

AH: Thank you.

Aimee Harris

Anthony Romano

Hoboken Public Library, Hoboken, New Jersey