I am not in the Norcross bubble, says Jay Lassiter. And the police forcewhich has at least temporarily waived the civil-service exam process in order to staff upwill become a giant patronage mill, churning out government jobs for good little Camden County Democrats. There was no quid pro quo there. The KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy, a five-school, 2,800-student behemoth to be built on land near Cooper, might stabilize the children and families of an entire neighborhood, Norcross says. 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. And it sure looks like President Donald Trump and NJ political boss George Norcross really have a lot in common! Increase website traffic and elevate your brand with a CMS Bot business website. Indeed, DRPAs purported purpose was to promote transportation throughout the region, and Cooper was the only hospital ever to receive money from DRPA, the vice chair of which wasgo figureJeffrey Nash, a longtime Norcross ally. No way. I told him Id do whatever I can to be helpful.. When Laskin shot him down, Norcross asked again: This is really important to me personally. The answer was no. Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. 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. It was his daughter, Lexie Norcross, 33, founder and chairwoman of the website PhillyVoice and former head of The Inquirer's philly.com website, who "brought it to my attention," he said. Hes strutted into Philadelphia, landed taxpayer-funded contracts, apparently helped elect the mayor, and perhaps even funded a new media organization. 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. His promotion of a biomedical research facility and a closer allegiance between Rutgers and Rowan should yield greater academic status and potentially foster future economic spin-offs. 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. He wasnt permitted to have the conversation. Protestors sing and dance to support the Rockettes. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. He is from American. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com. NOBODY IN THIS town wants to talk about George Norcross. It is widely suspected that Christie, prior to his run for New Jersey Governor, struck deals with critical Democratic power brokers in the state, Joe DiVincenzo, County Executive of Essex County, and Norcross of South Jersey, to forward his own gubernatorial ambitions. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com. Last December, Amy Kennedy, daughter-in-law of the late US Senator Ted Kennedy and wife of former Congressman from Rhode Island Patrick Kennedy published a statement that she was considering running for the Democratic nomination for the US House of Representatives seat from New Jersey's Second Congressional District. He is regarded as New Jersey's most powerful unelected leader. was tasked with: Developing and implementing structural changes to the portfolio of NYC schools in order to address systemic inequities and improve access to high performing schools. good education was to him and his family, that he went on to graduate from He formerly belonged to Mar-a-Lago, the club owned by former United States President Donald Trump.[7]. And yet there he isinfluencing even the direction of their police force. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 16 March. But if a Camden resident doesnt like what Norcross is doing, what recourse does she have? When Philly.com got word of the three-minute private meeting a few days later and posted a story, it set political insiders buzzing. 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. 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. Survived by his loving wife of 40 years Betty, daughter Lorna of Italy, 2 grandchildren Matteo and Sandra . Norcross has also benefited from his connections to the Delaware River Port Authority. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015. When Norcross does speak to reporters, he often dictates the terms. 1966 WirePhoto Actress Kim . Perhaps Norcross, and what he wants, is as much of a mystery to Kenney as he is to the rest of us. In short, it seems Norcross still cannot fully process just why he wants what he wants. educator, community, and student concerns. Additionally, Lenfest announced today that Brian Tierney, the co-owner of the Daily News and Inquirer from 2006 to 2010, will serve the publications as a consultant as they move forward without Katz. The best answer might be both: In fortifying Cooper University Hospital, Norcross ensures some vibrant legacy for his family. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 64 years old? (It was also extended, two years ago, for $500,000.) AmeriHealth Inc., one of the parent companies of (AmeriHealth New Jersey), agreed to sponsor the July 28, 2016, concert, Camden Rising, AmeriHealth New Jersey spokeswoman Jill Roman said. He also communicated that from his tour, parents did not care about the charter or public designation, but that they only want good schools for their children a theme Rouhanifard repeated often during his initial public meetings. son. 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. But as his career neared its end, in the late 80s, the entire South Jersey region still operated as a kind of beggar in relation to the north. She was born Eleonora Hermina Gregor in Grz, a town which then belonged to Austria-Hungary, but is now part of Italy, to Austrian-Jewish parents.. [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." 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. Likewise with "Director" Drew A. Katz, Interstate General Media co-owner Lewis Katz's son. Ascending to the chairmanship of the Camden County Democratic Committee at the tender age of 31, Young George, a high-school soccer and basketball player, brought the jock-ready jargon and just-win mentality of the locker room to state politics. George Norcross (George E. Norcross) was born on 16 March, 1956 in Camden, NJ, is a Businessman. Yet, the same local media was somehow unaware that Norcross has voted in Florida for the past two years while he continued to serve on the Democratic National Committee in apparent violation of DNC residency rules. It was May 19th, the day Jim Kenney won the mayoral primary in a landslide. The Corzines. But that was just the beginning: He developed an elaborate plan to wrest Camden County away from the GOP; then he would move on to other counties, win control of their freeholders, and build alliances that could raise enormous sums of cash for his favored candidates for the state legislature. He might even have been prosecuted a decade ago if not for a bungled criminal investigation. Norcross III became Chairman of the Camden County Democratic Association at the age of 32, and through financially backing South Jersey Democratic candidates using a platform of fiscal conservatism combined with social pragmatism, was able to gain influence in democratic circles in the surrounding suburbs as well as in Camden. What was rarely, 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. And Norcross plays an enviable role as both the highest bidder and the guy who reaps the greatest proceeds. Hes not. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. At the podium, hes upbeat and charming. And by Tuesday morning, faithful surrogates including daughter Lexie Norcross and City Councilwoman Felisha Reyes Morton were savaging Altman in the signature style that has made the Norcross political machine famous, and feared. On Oct. 25, AmeriHealth Inc. donated $1 million to the super PAC, which three days later paid back the $950,000 loan. Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey. Before being elected Governor in 2009, Christ Christie, as US Attorney, was making a name for himself as a public Corruption Buster by bringing criminal charges on elected officials throughout New Jersey. These contributions were not made to a New Jersey political committee; nor were they used to influence any election, said Ezra Reese, attorney for the super PAC. Due to Katz sudden death the sale may not be closed as scheduled and Norcross has reportedly offered a 30-day extension. Then Kenney, fresh off his private chat with a walking, talking embodiment of the one percent, took the stage, and his kaleidoscopic mix of supporters went nuts: prominent African-Americans and white working-class voters, LGBT leaders and immigrants, millennial fanboys and old heads. This is like therapy, he said at one point, before clarifying that hes never been in therapy. I have a dear friend who is a strict Democratic voter. The committee was funded by a trio of multimillionaire hedge fund investors who supported controversial education policies: charter expansion and school vouchers.