Thats something Philadelphians can surely appreciate, given their citys lack of clout in Harrisburg. Lexie Norcross, 26, daughter of former co-owner George Norcross, who lead Philly.com, has left her position, and sent a good-bye email sent out to colleagues over the weekend, spokesman Daniel Fee confirmed. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com. But he knows his apparatus is always geared up to produce the result. He is regarded as New Jersey's most powerful unelected leader. Neither would Coryell, national carpenters leaders and many, many others. He served on the board of and was the chairman of United Way. Did this one signal that Norcross, after spending 30 years methodically taking over the state of New Jersey, was setting his sights on Philadelphia? The $88 million media sale to Katz, H.F. Gerry Lenfest and their partners was scheduled to be closed June 10. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). About 15 years ago, John Gural, a then-Palmyra councilman who claimed he was being pressured and bribed to fire an enemy of Norcrosss, recorded the political boss with a hidden microphone. There was no quid pro quo there. When his father died in May 1998, George III found the note in his father's wallet, something the senior Mr. Norcross had presumably been carrying since his son gave it to him about. Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey,[8] the son of George E. Norcross, Jr., the president of the AFLCIO Central Labor Union of Camden and Gloucester Counties, and his wife, Anne Carol Norcross. The mystery, the lack of accountability, the unanswered questions about whos influencing our leaders and to what end everyones worst nightmares about super PACs have been fully realized, right here in Philadelphia. teaching experience at Public School 192 in Harlem through Teach for America. Look, he says, the report itself says nothing happened that was illegal.. And reframing the Camden city police as a county-led force is, he says, designed to save money and free up budgetary room to put more officers on the street. But our two meetings encompassed 10 hours, most of it on the record. During the early phases of his American businessman and politician organizer, It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Governors feud with party boss rocks New Jersey politics, by Ryan Hutchins, Politico, May 21, 2019, retrieved October 3, 2019, "Trump's 'Winter White House': A Peek at the Exclusive Members' List at Mar-a-Lago", "IN HONOR OF GEORGE E. NORCROSS III; Congressional Record Vol. And so Norcross has turned his sights on all of Camden, Americas poorest city. He raised $2 million, for instance, for the 2003 state senate race that installed unknown challenger Fred Madden over incumbent George Geist. Theres no doubt Norcross has done some good works with his immense power: As chairman of Cooper University Hospital in Camden, he built the institution into a giant. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) After a five-hour court hearing about the injunction, Norcross lost and within minutes, the report was made public. The image he conjures is of a political Transformer: Its a car! Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. most stakeholders agnostic to his ascension to the position at worst, and Though Norcross was never accused of wrongdoing, the tapes are chilling. KCNA is situated along the still-developing eds and meds corridor, down the street from the forthcoming Joint Health Services Complex for Rutgers Science and Rowan Medical students, down the street from the Rowan Medical School, and across from Cooper Hospital. when they hid Pence and his family in a bunker. George Norcross firm and partners got N.J. tax credits for Camden offices, years after task force scrutiny. Having two bachelors degrees in economics and George was predeceased by his father, George R Norcross Sr, his sister Carol Lofmark and his step daughter Nicole Barrett - Lind. In 2013, Cooper University Health Care in Camden, which Norcross chairs, bought a 20 percent stake in AmeriHealth New Jersey. Isaiah Wesley Norcross. During a sting operation, today referred to as the Palmyra Tapes, Norcross was recorded telling Palmyra Councilman John Gural, All the Governors will work with me. NOBODY IN THIS town wants to talk about George Norcross. But a lot of people I care about are, so in deference to them, I wouldnt want to say anything negative. Look, he says. The Camden Rising concert, which was meant to showcase Camden to visiting delegates during the Democratic National Convention in nearby Philadelphia, also displayed the power of the Norcross family, with Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross helping to introduce the acts. New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) during the Bloomberg years, . Three much smaller donations from regulated industries two casino companies and another health insurance company also helped fund the event. George Crabtree meets Nina Bloom in From Buffalo With Love towards the end of Season 9. Because they know we put up the gun and we pulled the trigger and we blew their brains out. And he makes clear what he has done to men who have crossed him: I sat him down and said, Herb, dont fuck with me on this one cause Ill tell you if you ever do that and I catch you one more time doing it, youre gonna get your fucking balls cut off.. George Norcross (George E. Norcross) was born on 16 March, 1956 in Camden, NJ, is a Businessman. He is not happy that he has been, as he puts it, caricatured as a bad guy. They were used only to support the Lady Gaga / Lenny Kravitz Camden Rising concert during the convention to showcase Camden, N.J. that was attended by thousands of convention-goers and delegates.. city educators and public officials, noting Rouhanifards young age, thin As someone who remembers a nonpartisan, independent, courageous and honest media, the hypocritical, shamelessly partisan farce that has replaced that media saddens me and causes great concern for the future of our crumbling republic. TRENTON, N.J. It took three decades for Democratic power broker George Norcross to build one of the most effective and influential political machines in the country. son. The super PAC still has an outstanding $1 million loan from a company General American Capital, which Fee said is affiliated with WWB. FILE - In this March 5, 2014 file photo, George Norcross, addresses a gathering at a groundbreaking ceremony in Camden, N.J., for a new kind of school that Norcross' family foundation will help fund. Norcross rejects such talk as wild conspiracy theories. But heres the rub: Camden residents have no power with which to reject him. The issue is that he simply holds too much power for any one man, a state of affairs that South Jersey Dems experience intimately, always aware of whos sipping from the trough. Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey. Norcross said he would invest $50 million in the project, and in March 2017, Norcross announced his company would move to the Camden waterfront as part of a $245 million development. Funding for the event came through General Majority, a Democratic super PAC that dominated New Jerseys legislative elections in 2013 and 2015. When DRPA issued its final disbursements in 2011, Cooper University Hospital received $6 million. multi-cultural society. George Norcrosss income source is mostly from being a successful Businessman. But his body language conveys his feeling: His butt shifts suddenly in his seat. The wonder Norcross conveys at his own zeal for confronting obstacles suggests that his restless journeying between political, business and social challenges isnt something he understands or perhaps even controls. Alessandra T. Norcross is, according to a September report, 25 years old. Aside from It didnt matter that when Norcross arrived, Kenney was minutes away from delivering his first speech as the presumptive next mayor of the fifth-biggest city in America. Former Inquirer reporter and current ESPN correspondent Sal Paolantonio, who plays tennis with Norcross, still gratefully remembers how his friend responded when Paolantonios daughter was admitted to Cooper in 2005 with a subdural hematoma. Alessandra T. Norcross is, according to a September report, 25 years old. One is simply that Norcross is moving into Philly because its good for business. The Associated Press article, Christies Camden tax-breaks rewards political insiders (2015), details how over $2 billion in spending by the NJEDA may likely benefitting Christies and Norcross political cronies more than the city it was billed to help. In 2012, Norcrosss firm scored a $630,000 contract with the School District of Philadelphia. And, later the next week, on August 21st, 2013, outside of HB Wilson Family School on South Eighth St., Camden was officially introduced to Paymon Rouhanifard by NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf, Governor Christie, and Mayor Redd. Now George Norcross is invading Philadelphia and the citys power crowd is too scared to talk about it. George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a Democratic Party organizer and power broker in southern New Jersey. But does all that make the new, This search result is here to prevent scraping, Hop Sing Laundromat Charging $75 for Bar Reservations, Exciting I-95 Capping Project Finally Begins In Philadelphia, Those Gummies May Not Have Contained Fentanyl After All, Why I'm Boycotting the Roots Picnic This Year. I think he can win. I just cant win., My biggest mistake was allowing myself to be defined and branded in the 90s, he continues. 3), A Review of Demoralized: Why Teachers Leave the Profession They Love and How They Can Stay, a Review from the Perspective of a Black, Socialist Union Leader, Warning! Norcross was named the second most powerful man in the New Jersey business world by NJBiz.com in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and made the list's top five in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It was during Rouhanifards time at NYDOE where he would meet the eventual NJDOE Commissioner Cerf, who would later recruit him to lead Camdens school district. Trump still planting seeds of stolen election. Not as much, he replies, confusingly. WWB Holdings owns media site PhillyVoice, where George Norcross' daughter, Lexie Norcross, is founder and CEO. This is an auction. Norcross is just as unaccountable to the media as he is to voters. She was remembered as "a tireless advocate for senior citizens.". Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. 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To his credit, one person who does agree to be interviewed for this story is Jim Kenney. the NYCDOE website, the OPM, Office of School Design and Charter Partnerships Norcross said that he received a phone call in 2004 from then-governor Richard Codey telling him that heGeorge Norcross III, a private insurance executivecould steer $500,000 in public money any way he saw fit. Further current residents question whether their children, will, in the future, still be residents to even attend the Lanning Squares newest school, in the most rapidly developing neighborhood. [1], Norcross has been a prominent political leader in New Jersey for more than 30 years, since before he became chairman of the Camden County Democratic Committee in 1989, a position he held until 1993. [26], Norcross has been associated with businesses that are alleged to have received special treatment from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. In time, Rouhanifard showed himself to adept and aware of the political and media atmosphere in his new landscape. $17.99 + $4.99 shipping. Primarily, the Office of Portfolio Management with NYCDOE was responsible for transitioning more choice schools (charters, and magnet) into NYCs portfolio of school offerings, while simultaneously targeting and transitioning failing or underperforming public schools for closure. I think he truly believes the more successful and smoothly functioning and healthier the whole region is, the better business opportunities are going to be, says Comcast V.P. The words indicate his meaning. That PAC in turn quickly cut a $725,000 check to yet another super PAC Building a Better Pa. That was the Dougherty-tied PAC supporting Kenney for mayor. As for meeting Norcross's wife of 20 years, -Sandy, or their eight-year-old son, Alex no. When Laskin shot him down, Norcross asked again: This is really important to me personally. The answer was no. In a city like Camden, theres a sisterhood, brotherhood with Philadelphia. He is a member of famous Businessman with the age 66 years old group. It didnt matter that Kenney, in fact, still had a few lines left to memorize. When he sits down to talk about Norcross, Kenney suddenly looks like hed rather be someplace else. A year later, theres no question: Norcross is now well entrenched in Philadelphia, and all signs suggest his influence will continue to grow. He might even have been prosecuted a decade ago if not for a bungled criminal investigation. For anyone who believed money already played too big a role in politics, this was a deeply disturbing development. George Norcross slipped in through the back door. 1966 WirePhoto Actress Kim . Apparently, you can take the friend out of Jersey, but not vice versa. At the podium, hes upbeat and charming. George Howard Norcross, Jr. son. This search result is here to prevent scraping, Exciting I-95 Capping Project Finally Begins In Philadelphia, Those Gummies May Not Have Contained Fentanyl After All, The Top 10 Things to Do With Kids in Philly This Month, Ultimate Guide to the 2023 Philadelphia Flower Show. With the exception of that climate, these amenities are the result of an effective Republican state government. "[10], Norcross graduated from Pennsauken High School and briefly attended Rutgers UniversityCamden. Fee said Conner Strong & Buckelew was not involved in the concert. Famously, during the trial of state senator Wayne Bryant, we learned that the State of New Jersey had been doling out what government officials dubbed Norcross Grants. These were discretionary funds to be given to worthy causes. [23], In February 2012, Norcross penned an op-ed in the Courier-Post that called for the merger of Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden, positing it could be a "catalyst for the kind of renaissance that could make South Jersey an epicenter of intellectual and economic success for decades." In 2014, the New Yorkers Ryan Lizza landed a rare recorded interview with Norcross. Rather, hes the perfect man to turn out the lights., Read more here: Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising Public Education and Urban Redvelopment in Camden, NJ (2018, Peter Lang USA). Hes strutted into Philadelphia, landed taxpayer-funded contracts, apparently helped elect the mayor, and perhaps even funded a new media organization. Notice of the issued tax credits was buried in a pair of Excel spreadsheets on a government website. Nowadays, Trump definitely has that kind of power and . Today, OPM is referred to Johnny Doc, Kenneys most potent ally, was also Coryells fiercest political enemy. Not because they like me, but because they have no choice. He talks about his legacy: No one will ever, ever again not include or look down or double-cross South Jersey. I will make one thing clear, we will not make those decisions without dialogue with the families and communities, Rouhanifard said. John Mooney, of NJ Spotlight, asked one of the meetings attendees, their opinion of the new superintendent and his strategic plan, and Elizabeth Ceprero-Abreu, a bilingual teacher in the district for eight years asserted. A few political insiders suggest to me that Norcross would be a welcome counterweight to Dougherty. They all will work with me, not because they like me, but because they have no choice. Despite having access to recorded evidence of Norcross trying to manipulate public hiring decision and contracts, Christie refused to pursue any investigation against Norcross despite the insistence of two NJ assistant attorneys general attesting to the validity of their investigation. However, I think I am going to decline at this time., He declined your request for an interview both on and off the record.. In fact, the super-PAC money that made the biggest difference in the mayoral race had nothing to do with American Cities, and plenty to do with George Norcross. Resulting from the 100-day listening tour, Rouhanifard laid out his agenda called the Camden Commitment. Unveiled to the public for the first time on January 28, 2014 at Octavius V. Catto Family School in the East Camden neighborhood, the Camden Commitment focused on five components: better academic performance in schools, improved customer service, greater efficiency in district administrative offices, school safety, and tighter District spending. Look, says Ali Sloan El, a longtime city activist, George is for George.. The United States Attorney's Office for New Jersey sent Norcross a letter confirming that no action was warranted and the investigation was closed. The media sponsor was PhillyVoice, which is owned by WWB Holdings, as disclosed on the sites home page, said Daniel Fee, a spokesman for George Norcross. Its a kick-ass purple robot! When he sets his sights on a target, he captures it. deemed failing, he began a 100-day listening tour. Or so it seemed. He recruited John Adler, a Harvard graduate, to run against Laskin in 1991. Things Aint Always what They Seem: Our Society is in Deep Trouble and Oligarchy is the Blame, What the Fight For Camden(NJ) Schools Truly is(a Struggle for Our Survival), Buy Education Reform and Gentification in the Age of #CamdenRising: Public Education and Urban Redevelopment in the Camden, NJ, Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising Public Education and Urban Redvelopment in Camden, NJ, The Myth and Traction of the Failing Urban School Narrative, Camden Education Association 840 Cooper St. Camden, NJ. One would think there might be great joy in this life, coptering over the common man to make millions; telling the governor what you want and knowing hell pay attention; building a new cancer center and erecting a prestigious new medical schoolthe first in New Jersey in 35 yearsin Camden, the land he feels bound to by blood, the land that needs a champion like him. That was particularly apparent in the 2015 mayoral race, which was the first time super PACs played a role in a big Philly municipal election. Officer in the Office of Portfolio Management (OPM). It was the most expensive senate race in the history of New Jersey, which raises a question: Is this democracyor an auction? We both say, Lets stop by and say hi to Jim.. For his part, Rouhanifard did facilitate and preside over the establishing of the first renaissance schools and their expansion, as well as initiated the universal enrollment system he referred to in his initial Camden Commitment speech which would be called Camden Enrollment the following year. It took one night for the. By financially supporting candidates not only in Camden County, but all over South Jersey, George Norcross was able to consolidate his leadership and demand unity among, and allegiance from, those whom he helped get elected. After thorough investigations and significant media coverage, he was not charged. in Tennessee during the 1980s. What engages Norcross is besting a challenge with an apparatus that produces a desired result. It partially paid for last Julys Lady Gaga and Lenny Kravitz concert in Camden, even though the donation was made three months after the concert took place and the companys sponsorship was not advertised. Georgina Cross is the author of ONE NIGHT and NANNY NEEDED, Bantam, Penguin Random House, and the bestselling author of THE STEPDAUGHTER, as well as THE MISSING WOMAN and THE NIECE, Bookouture, Hachette Publishing. These changes include but are not limited to: Opening high potential new schools and closing underperforming schools; establishing enrollment/admissions criteria; altering schools grade configurations; revising elementary and middle school zoning in order to impact enrollment and school size; improving the availability of programs to serve special populations, including Gifted & Talented, English Language Learners and students with disabilities, and Pre-Kindergarten. Working under Joel Klein, chancellor of But before Rouhanifards arrival in Camden, he made a brief professional stop in Newark working as Cami Andersons Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer where he, like his time in NYC, expanded the charter footprint in Newark, closed traditional public schools, and instituted what would be a highly controversial computer-based universal enrollment system called, One Newark. the NJ Urban Hope Act of 2012. This would mean the world to him, Norcross reportedly told Laskin. I regretfully do not have my fathers personality.. I know I felt terrorized when outgoing President Donald Trump urged the unruly mob down the street to the Capitol to fight like hell. Then, some demonstrators put up a hangmans noose designed for then-Vice President Mike Pence, because he was doing his constitutional duty to accept the 2020 electoral votes in favor of the winner, Joe Biden. He knew less about how politics is actually practiced than I did., So Young George dropped out and found his way, ultimately making more money, in the insurance industry, and garnering more power, in politics, than the Chief ever even sought. Norcross was little more than a regional player 30 years ago. Im also guessing that the Secret Service was scared that day when they hid Pence and his family in a bunker. Kenney thanked his unprecedented coalition of diverse groups and repeated his mantra that every neighborhood matters.. Increase website traffic and elevate your brand with a CMS Bot business website. One of those people is Steve Sweeney, who is kind of a supersized Johnny Doc. All combined, the realities mentioned above continue to fuel criticism about the process by which the land was acquired to build a Norcross-supported charter school and not a public Lanning Square Elementary. Susan Ann Norcross. Its only natural to wonder when my number will come up.. He often spoke about how important getting a Maybe theres some synergies the two cities could benefit from.. I understand, as a reporter, why the Palmyra Tapes incident has to be part of the George Norcross narrative. By contrast, Katz's longtime partner is Inquirer city. A childhood friend of Norcrosss, Sweeney is the New Jersey Senate president and vice president of the International Association of Ironworkers, and is widely assumed to be a big-time gubernatorial candidate in 2017. Many believe that in exchange for Christie not investigating Norcross and DiVincenzo, at a time when Christie showed a willingness to prosecute even minor infractions and perpetrators of the public trust including an Asbury Park councilman for getting his driveway paved for free. Christie allowed the two biggest powerbrokers in the state to escape similar investigative scrutiny in exchange for their tacit support for his gubernatorial candidacy, or at least, their less-than-zealous support for Jon Corzines re-election campaign in 2009. George Norcross daughter, Alessandra, a director of the parent company of the Inquirer, is an officer of the foundation and a board member of KCNA. Further, both residents and reporters paid specific attention to the proposed, and eventual, location of the KCNA and the history regarding the demolition and refusal to rebuild the public school, Lanning Square Elementary. Soon after Rouhanifard took the helm at Camden, a school district In June that year, the state approved the partnership. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) She was not terminated but voluntarily left after her ownership share, along with her fathers, was bought out by Katz, Lenfest and their partners. And I got portrayed, you know, as the guy with the cigar and the horns., Norcrosss critics believe hes not difficult to understand. He was survived by his mother, Margaret Norcross, wife Jo Ann Norcross, two step sons Steven and Scott Lind, his sisters Rhonda Jobes and Wendy Husted and several nephews, nieces and 3 grandchildren. He called his closest supporters the Can Do Club and lived by high-achiever mantras like Second Place Is First Loser. In a pivotal 1991 election, he worked with TV adman Neil Oxman and paid for $400,000 in commercial spots to dethrone Laskin, an unheard-of move in a state election. David L. Cohen, a Norcross friend for 25 years. Thats just how significant, how full of implicit meaning, a meeting with Norcross is. Behind all this striving, Norcross has also maintained a network of admirers. My friend still votes for Democrats, and lately has been lamenting the GOP administration of Gov. Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. And the stands they take on the issues reflect the values of any true blue-dog Democrat.. In a cool, calculated voice, Norcross brags about his influence with governors and U.S. senators: In the end, the McGreeveys, the Corzines, theyre all going to be with me. He came in better prepared, familiar with every layer of coverage necessary for an idiosyncratic industry comprised of horses, riders and grandstands. speeches highlighting his time teaching in a primary school in a low-income, So the risk is simple overreach. [13], Norcross is the executive chairman of insurance, risk management and employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm Conner Strong & Buckelew, where he has worked since 1979. Since Norcross operates in the shadows, were left guessing about his motives. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital both in Camden, New Jersey, and has served as a trustee since 1990. He is a smart, competent man. Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. The pieces only came together after Kenney won the primary election: Norcrosss fingerprints were all over the money. $17.99 + $4.99 shipping. In this lifetime, I cant win. But she also was accused of downplaying hard news in favor of fluff and tawdry. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Since 2002, the Office of Portfolio Management has opened almost 500 new schools to provide higher quality options for the diverse needs of New York City children. That was hardly obvious at the time, which looks to have been the point. Central to Norcross plan, is a vast expanse of vacant land next to the Cooper medical complex in the citys Lanning Square neighborhood that once housed a public school until it was torn down nearly a decade ago, for a new one that has not to be rebuilt. Later that year, John Mooney wrote, Not one to do things small, George Norcross has enlisted a power-packed partnership of playersseen and unseenin a bid to essentially create a mini-district of new schools for the city of Camden. And with that, the path for Camdens forthcoming renaissance schools was set. Progressive Democratic groups often highlight the fact George Norcross who with his childhood friend, New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, holds sway over the Democrat-controlled state . The 18-story, 394,164 square-foot building will also house The Michaels Organization, NFI, and two new restaurants spearheaded by Philadelphia celebrity chef Michael Schulson. In 2014, it landed yet another contract, worth $660,000, with the Philadelphia Housing Authority. teaching experience and lack of state credentials, his arrival in Camden had He is, however, resigned to this fate. While a report last year from the New Jersey comptroller was critical of that arrangement, it also noted that there was technically nothing unlawful about it, a point Norcross reiterates when I bring it up. In 2011, the firm won a $300,000 contract with the citys Redevelopment Authority. Norcross was named the second most powerful man in the New Jersey business world by NJBiz.com in 2014, 2015, and 2016,[14] and made the list's top ten list in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.