Building on his labor and political connections, Norcross developed an insurance business that gave him the financial leverage to help Democratic politics in Camden County. After conducting a national search, and narrowing down the selections to three individuals, the CCSD board was preparing to conduct in-person interviews with potential candidates. [6], Norcross is a member of the Democratic National Committee. Never again will that happen. Look, he says, the report itself says nothing happened that was illegal.. A final observation: When Dr. Mehmet Oz of whom I am not a supporter announced he was running for U.S. Senate as a Republican in Pennsylvania, our watchdog media hounds almost immediately noted his recent New Jersey residency, and shouts of carpetbagger arose. At Kenneys inauguration in January, Norcross sat in the second row, with Kenneys managing director, Mike DiBerardinis, on his left and Donald on his right. George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a Democratic Party organizer and power broker in southern New Jersey. George Norcross's net worth Both the new mayor and Johnny Doc owe Norcross. Resident Moneke Ragsdale remarked: The public needs to know how this happened. Norcross launched the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, which New Jersey Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts praised for its "unflagging commitment to the city,"[20] and helped to facilitate the opening of the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center in October 2013. daughter. No way. The parameters of the agreement entailed that Norcross would to withhold support and endorsement for, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono, in exchange for Christie not campaigning for any Republican Assembly or Senate candidates in South Jersey. For our first meeting, at Cooper University Hospital, where he is chairman of the board, he dressed in a deep blue suit and French cuffs, his head topped by an avalanche of thick white hair. Outfitted in a suit and bow tie, Young George sat quietly in meeting spaces all over New Jersey. persecution, how their familys assets were frozen, that he and his family they Norcross chose Pennsauken High School, his alma mater, and the private Lawrenceville School that his daughter Lexie attended. He was waiting for the right moment. George was loved by all and was known as the Gentle Giant. The Lanning Square project was created by a formed partnership of KIPP, one of the largest charter school networks in the country; the Cooper Foundation, the charitable arm of Cooper University Hospital; and the Norcross Foundation, established by the family of George Norcross, who is chairman of Cooper University Hospital, a Democratic Party leader, and managing partner of the company that owns the Philadelphia Inquirer. In Jersey, Norcross cried because there were no more worlds to conquer., Then that person adds: Dont quote me on that. For Gods sake, buy me! Though, Norcross has been described in local print media as, the guy with the cigar and horns, an arrogant and profane bully who threatens to castrate his political enemies, and an individual presiding over an environment where hardball politics ends and a culture of intimidation, dubbed La Costra Norcoss by his enemies, Norcross has been irrepressible in influencing South Jersey, but specifically Camden-based politics, to his will. Norcross, in his statement, said the three companies at the tower, known as Triad1828 Centre, and their leaders "have invested more . But in a surprising restraint in instigative zealousness of corruption involving public officials, in 2006, Christie refused to pursue corruption charges against Norcross despite him being investigated by the state and the Securities and Exchange Commission in years prior. Norcross also runs the insurance firm Conner Strong & Buckelew, which has helped make him a millionaire many times over, partly from the lucrative contracts it has won from government entities across New Jersey. With the exception of that climate, these amenities are the result of an effective Republican state government. Many South Jersey residents who were familiar with Christie, and his visible role as New Jerseys primary public crime fighter, found his leniency toward Norcross, a man to who many long have suspected of being a corrupt public actor, in word curious. He recruited John Adler, a Harvard graduate, to run against Laskin in 1991. 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. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. George Norcross, Chris Christie, and Paymon Rouhanifard: The triumverite who snaked renaissance (corporate takeover) schools into Camden, The Genuine Problems I have with the Education Reform Communitya series (Pt. Big. The image he conjures is of a political Transformer: Its a car! Kenney tells me he has known Norcross for years (Fifteen, 20?), but he doesnt share any anecdotes or insights about the man. city educators and public officials, noting Rouhanifards young age, thin This is George Norcross were talking about the widely feared, fantastically wealthy all-powerful boss of the South Jersey Democratic Party and when George Norcross wants a meeting, he gets a meeting. AmeriHealth New Jersey has close ties to George Norcross. 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. The slight infuriated Norcross. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. He came in better prepared, familiar with every layer of coverage necessary for an idiosyncratic industry comprised of horses, riders and grandstands. And then, in February, Ed Coryell was sacked. Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. good education was to him and his family, that he went on to graduate from 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. Some years back, citing high taxes, crumbling infrastructure and a litany of other ills largely the result of corrupt, shoddy and stupid state government, he left New Jersey for Florida. The problem, then, isnt that George Norcross is incompetent. The all-out war South Jersey power broker George Norcross III declared against Gov. Coopers medical school yields prestige and a much-needed influx of youth and smarts. Alessandra T. Norcross is, according to a September report, 25 years old. Why would carpenters in Jersey give a damn about Kenney? In as early as 2011, Norcross began giving a series of speeches focusing on education, and on the future of public education in Camden specifically. The Norcross apparatus, as he describes it, also seems a valid tool to use, whether the goal is winning a race or running a newspaper. educator, community, and student concerns. . What might Norcross actually do for Philadelphia? 41. The concert was co-sponsored by a number of entities, including AmeriHealth, which made a contribution to General Majority PAC Convention 2016.. I think if you know George and you spend time around him, says one longtime friend, attorney Arthur Makadon, its obvious that hes just a man who is looking over his shoulder., George Norcross Jr., whom admirers called Big George and Chief, was a longtime AFL-CIO president. I see starting in the next number of months, principally with the affiliations we have, and then the process of a new project will follow. 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. Even before the Rouhanifard completed one year in Camden, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, the 74 Million, The New Teacher Project, and popular New Jersey-focused education reform blog, NJLeftBehind published articles praising Rouhanifard as the change Camden needed. What engages Norcross is besting a challenge with an apparatus that produces a desired result. teaching experience at Public School 192 in Harlem through Teach for America. In its Oct. 4 filing with the New Jersey State Election Law Enforcement Commission, the super PAC said it would dissolve its operations in New Jersey. Rouhanifard has some great ideas, and we just hope he communicates with us as teachers. Im also guessing that the Secret Service was scared that day when they hid Pence and his family in a bunker. Newsroom ire has instead focused on what many journalists and the Newspaper Guild charge is an effort to push out older reporters.IGM management has consistently declined to speak to City Paper about internal affairs. We all think we know, he says. To his credit, one person who does agree to be interviewed for this story is Jim Kenney. Christie, Cerf and a national superintendent search firm Ray and Associates, selected Rouhanifard for Camden from a pool of more than 100 applicants, indicating the Governors Office and state DOE never intended on Camdens school board to pick their eventual district leader at all. The pieces only came together after Kenney won the primary election: Norcrosss fingerprints were all over the money. In 2012, Norcrosss firm scored a $630,000 contract with the School District of Philadelphia. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. So they set off to Vie, a restaurant on North Broad Street where Kenney was holding his victory party. The apparatus Norcross speaks of adapts to win. Its a deep irony that Norcross, so often singled out for criticism in the media, routinely produces candidates who win newspaper endorsements from the Inquirer and Courier-Post. In this lifetime, I cant win. Norcrosss insurance firm has secured government contracts in Philly in recent years, just as its done in Jersey. if ever mentioned, by Rouhanifard was his time on his Teach for America affiliation, Its only natural to wonder when my number will come up.. I understand, as a reporter, why the Palmyra Tapes incident has to be part of the George Norcross narrative. All rights reserved (About Us). With the passing of the UHA and the renaissance schools that resulted, Norcross was able to execute his plan for influencing public education in Camden as well. He has close ties to Jersey carpenters. 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. 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. deemed failing, he began a 100-day listening tour. 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. It was the most expensive senate race in the history of New Jersey, which raises a question: Is this democracyor an auction? 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. 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. The money raised some eyebrows. [30] Norcross was listed as one of the state's wealthiest people, ranked 41st in New Jersey in 2015 with a net worth of almost $250 million. [26], Norcross has been associated with businesses that are alleged to have received special treatment from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Norcross has also been meeting with some of the citys most powerful politicians, from Council President Darrell Clarke to State Senator Tony Williams to U.S. Rep Bob Brady. He is regarded as New Jersey's most powerful unelected leader. 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. True to form, Norcross has accomplished all this in the dark, granting not a single on-the-record interview about these moves. Norcross rejects such talk as wild conspiracy theories. But heres the rub: Camden residents have no power with which to reject him. It didnt matter that Norcross didnt have an appointment. Norcross launched the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, which New Jersey Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts praised for its "unflagging commitment to the city," and helped to facilitate the opening of the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center in October 2013. When he sits down to talk about Norcross, Kenney suddenly looks like hed rather be someplace else. 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. According to He often spoke about how important getting a He availed himself to the political staff on state and local levels, including Mayor Redd and George Norcross making numerous public appearances at city ceremonies, athletic events, and ribbon cuttings. He cleared the way for his brother, Donald Norcross, to get a state senate seat in 2010 when then-senator Dana Redd was elected Camdens mayor, but Donald has since earned respect and an Inquirer endorsement. I had been warned, by a half-dozen reporters, that Norcross would limit access and insist most of the conversation be kept private. Further cementing their respective legacies, concerning Christie and Norcross, speculation holds that an agreement took place, dubbed the I-195 Deal. But can the guy with the cigar and the horns really save a city, or can he only serve himself? In November 2014, Cooper and Norcross were awarded the "Seven Seals" award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in recognition of the program. He, A few political insiders suggest to me that Norcross would be a welcome counterweight to Dougherty. In talking about his career, for instance, he betrays no passion for the industry that provided his wealth. There, he found fair and reasonable taxation, beautifully maintained roads, lower crime, a thriving economic environment and a climate more suitable to his liking. Copyright 2023 My City Paper :: New York City News, Food, Sports and Events. But he also grimaces. Survived by his loving wife of 40 years Betty, daughter Lorna of Italy, 2 grandchildren Matteo and Sandra . Brady says that if incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has an issue he was indicted on corruption charges last year I would do everything I can to help Donald Norcross.. As for meeting Norcross's wife of 20 years, -Sandy, or their eight-year-old son, Alex no.

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