George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a Democratic Party organizer and power broker in southern New Jersey. Sure, Kenney has opinions on what hes done in Jersey. multi-cultural society. Clearly, he says, I like challenges to a kind of extreme degree.. And I got portrayed, you know, as the guy with the cigar and the horns., Norcrosss critics believe hes not difficult to understand. They werent as well-funded or as sexy, and they were backed by known entities: the teachers union and Johnny Doc. I think he can win. But it does not define who he is., Norcrosss allies cite his intense loyalty. South Jersey Assemblyman Troy Singleton is the assistant to the executive secretary-treasurer of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters. And the first thing it allows him to do is climb over his own biases. Friends may call on Thursday, June 9, 2022 from 9:00 am until . Further, Norcross began speaking of a then-hypothetical network of charter schools in Camden on account that saving Camden, would require saving its public schools, or at least having educational options open to its families. Norcross also remarked in Fall 2011 regarding Camden education, I think a material change could happen 24-30 months from now. But AmeriHealth Inc., the parent company of the health insurer AmeriHealth New Jersey, donated $1 million to a super PAC that has spent millions to help Democratic lawmakers. 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. 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. The Camden School District had previously started its own search last winter, and this search expanded upon that, bringing previous semi-finalists and then additional candidates, the governors office said. But before that would ever take place, Governor Christies office informed the Board president, Kathryn Blackshear that the state was assuming responsibility of appointing the next superintendent in Camden. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Beatrice Claubaugh Norcross Obituary (1931 - 2022) - Legacy Remembers The junior Katz is also the CEO of the similarly named Interstate Outdoor Advertising. 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. He, finally, often ended most of his introductory 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. persecution, how their familys assets were frozen, that he and his family they [2][3] From 2014 through 2021,[4] he was named one of New Jersey's most powerful people by NJBiz.com. 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[18] The 18-story, 394,164 square-foot building also houses The Michaels Organization, NFI, and two new restaurants spearheaded by Philadelphia celebrity chef Michael Schulson. Aside from Ed Rendell says Norcross raised about $50,000 for his gubernatorial campaign: You know, nothing big. Norcross also had deep connections at the Delaware River Port Authority in the 2000s, where he likely brushed up against Johnny Doc and other Philly power brokers. George Norcross Obituary - Tribute Archive In 2011, the firm won a $300,000 contract with the citys Redevelopment Authority. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com. His dad knew success. Imagine if his relationship with Dougherty becomes as robust as the one he has with Steve Sweeney in New Jersey: Together, the two would utterly dominate Philadelphias political scene. 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. He wouldnt talk to me for this story. For Gods sake, buy me! 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! Probably because he thought I would be a good mayor, he says. Norcross Jr. was active in the community of Camden and a board member of Cooper University Hospital. his meteoric rise in education ensued. Mayor, I ask, did you meet Norcross while working for Fumo? He has served as a Cooper trustee since 1990. 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. The office of the Attorney General of New Jersey and the United States Attorney's office under Chris Christie investigated Norcross after he was secretly taped discussing state politics. Later that year, a journalism start-up called PhillyVoice launched, with Norcross's 20-something daughter Lexie at the helm. Copyright 2023 My City Paper :: New York City News, Food, Sports and Events. Well, Norcross maintains that he is less involved in politics than he used to be. 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. Jennifer Beck, a Republican legislator from Monmouth County, has since proposed a bill to plug up this hole in the public trough. 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 57, George Norcross III is in impressive shape, with a trim gut and the sleek build of a man who keeps up regular tennis and golf matches. It's now a family affair at The Inquirer and Daily News.The daughter of famous/notorious South Jersey Democratic political boss and newly minted owner of both papers George Norcross is listed on the masthead as a "Director" of Interstate General Media LLC. And why would they cross their Philly brethren in Carpenters Union Local 8, which was backing Williams in the race? Working under Joel Klein, chancellor of View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. On the Palmyra Tapes, between venomous howls, he sounds compelleda man overwhelmed by his own pace; Im up at four oclock in the morning to go to North Jersey to attend meetings, he says on the tapes. Patricia Mueller, a friend of Norcrosss, is the treasurer for the Carpenters Fund for Growth and Progress. meeting all of the students needs, and a lot district waste. For anyone who believed money already played too big a role in politics, this was a deeply disturbing development. Im also guessing that the Secret Service was scared that day when they hid Pence and his family in a bunker. The concert was co-sponsored by a number of entities, including AmeriHealth, which made a contribution to General Majority PAC Convention 2016.. I had been warned, by a half-dozen reporters, that Norcross would limit access and insist most of the conversation be kept private. 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. Kenney used to work for Vince Fumo, the once all-powerful state senator who in 2009 was convicted on 137 counts of corruption and other charges. Why would carpenters in Jersey give a damn about Kenney? Stay up to date with the latest materialGet posts via email. Hiring a communication director, further solidified District messaging and improved the likelihood of receiving positive press in print media, local news, and even on local urban radio airwaves. In September 2015, Norcross was announced as one of the local investors in The Camden Waterfront, a $1 billion development on Camden's waterfront initially developed by Liberty Property Trust and designed by Robert A.M. Stern. She cant vote him out. I meet with him in the Mayors Reception Room in City Hall, where hes holding a press conference encouraging Philadelphians to vote. The super PAC paid for TV, radio and mail ads to boost Democratic Assemblymen John . Ron DeSantis. 41. 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. I understand, as a reporter, why the Palmyra Tapes incident has to be part of the George Norcross narrative. Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. As for meeting Norcross's wife of 20 years, -Sandy, or their eight-year-old son, Alex no. 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. Alessandra T. Norcross is, according to a September report, 25 years old. Mary Ellen Norcross. 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 . According to its filings with the Internal Revenue Service, General Majority in June received a $950,000 loan from a company called WWB Holdings, which shares a primary address with Conner Strong & Buckelew, the insurance brokerage run by George Norcross. 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. City Paper has not, to be clear, received any complaints about the work ethic of any of the three. When he received the support of governor Brendan Byrne in 1975 for the concept of a med school at Cooper, the Republican legislators of North Jersey made sure nothing got built. Lexie Norcross, 26, was a controversial figure partly because of her age and relation to George Norcross. Is this altruism? within a city known for generational poverty and where 23 of 26 schools were And it was Norcrosss longtime adman, Neil Oxman, who produced the pro-Kenney TV commercials funded by all that super-PAC cash. 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. The United States Attorney's Office for New Jersey sent Norcross a letter confirming that no action was warranted and the investigation was closed. Norcross has a daughter, Lexie, and a son, Alex. 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. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. How one election left this powerful Democratic organization - POLITICO Now, we learn that the great champion of South Jersey Democrats, George Norcross III, has declared himself as a Florida. 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. NJ tax break winners gave millions to group linked to George Norcross His eyebrows twist with real curiosity, and his eyes begin casting around, wildly alight, as if the answer to the Riddle of Him might be written on one of the walls in this Cooper University Hospital conference room. $17.99 + $4.99 shipping. George Norcross out as owner of Philadelphia newspapers, website 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. (It was also extended, two years ago, for $500,000.) There were two other super PACs in the race, both of which supported Kenney, but they got far less attention from the media. Hes strutted into Philadelphia, landed taxpayer-funded contracts, apparently helped elect the mayor, and perhaps even funded a new media organization. Francis H Norcross. Even as a memorial is planned for the late Lewis Katz, former co-owner of Philly.com, the Daily News and the Inquirer, new details are emerging about the deal he inked to take over the media portfolio just four days before dying in a freak plane crash. 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. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015. In the mid-1930s, Gregor became the mistress of the married vice chancellor of Austria, the Austro . 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. A few political insiders suggest to me that Norcross would be a welcome counterweight to Dougherty. Now, I hear that the Republican National Committee is paying some of Trumps legal bills for his defense against a New York probe over his business practices. Thats the reality. Next, Rouhanifard left the classroom and worked as a financial analyst for It will be a political firefight. Stern. And it sure looks like President Donald Trump and NJ political boss George Norcross really have a lot in common! The $88 million media sale to Katz, H.F. Gerry Lenfest and their partners was scheduled to be closed June 10. The best answer might be both: In fortifying Cooper University Hospital, Norcross ensures some vibrant legacy for his family. But there is a larger portrait hereof the political operator as artist, and the artist as an aging, more reflective man. While investigating a murder at the infamous burlesque hall The Star Room, George gets more than he ever thought possible from the talented and most desirable Nina . What we have here, and I say we because its not just me, is a sophisticated apparatus that achieves a result.. 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. And what is that, if not an old-school Tammany Hall-style political machine? Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. And I wasnt permitted to. 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. Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey. He led the effort to create the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and to partner with MD Anderson Cancer Center to create the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center, which opened in 2013. And even his nepotism hasnt embarrassed him. According to Vail Daily, Neil's grandfather, John, was a partner in a Denver law firm. 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. New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) during the Bloomberg years, Just a few weeks before the election, a New Jersey-based PAC called the Carpenters Fund for Growth and Progress donated $750,000 to a PAC called the Turnout Project. The most powerful man in New Jersey has never held public office. 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). I wonder if the National Socialist Workers Party supported Adolf Hitler this way on his rise to power? In a city like Camden, theres a sisterhood, brotherhood with Philadelphia. Norcross' daughter out at Philly.com; former co-owner will assist Daily Norcross not only made calls about the daughters treatment; he showed up at 5 a.m. the morning after the operation to visit the Paolantonios in the intensive care unit. Super PACs emerged after the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that enabled PACs to spend unlimited sums on political races provided the PACs didnt coordinate with the candidates benefiting from the spending. The all-out war South Jersey power broker George Norcross III declared against Gov. 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. So right there and then, the likely next mayor of Philadelphia sat down for a brief tte--tte with the lord of South Jersey. John, son of John Norcross, Ribchester. Governors kowtow to his enormous political power. Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III and his business partners have invested in projects along Camden's Delaware River waterfront that have benefited from nearly $290 million in tax credits and other incentives from the state. Norcross and his partners own five properties there. Never again will that happen. Our journalism needs your support. teaching experience at Public School 192 in Harlem through Teach for America. THE STORY OF HOW Norcross built himself into the most powerful man in New Jersey begins with revenge. 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. 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. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com. 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. Its a kick-ass purple robot! At the podium, hes upbeat and charming. The Chief died, in 1998, with that promise unfulfilled. None of these contracts have been publicly reported until now. By working with Norcross by dealing with him Christie could infuse his term as governor with near limitless potential. Similarly, few could argue that as a result of their shared alliance, Norcross emerged even more powerful than he was prior to Christies election.