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. Hes done wonders for South Jersey, says Rendell. I meet with him in the Mayors Reception Room in City Hall, where hes holding a press conference encouraging Philadelphians to vote. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com. Errichetti had appointed Norcross director of a reconstituted Camden Parking Authority in 1978 when Norcross was only twenty-two. Never again will that happen. had to flee Iran by slipping into neighboring Pakistan before finally settling the NJ Urban Hope Act of 2012. And I got portrayed, you know, as the guy with the cigar and the horns., Norcrosss critics believe hes not difficult to understand. Clearly, he says, I like challenges to a kind of extreme degree.. Kenney thanked his unprecedented coalition of diverse groups and repeated his mantra that every neighborhood matters.. Funding. It was the most expensive senate race in the history of New Jersey, which raises a question: Is this democracyor an auction? Norcrosss critics remain fixated on these sorts of stories. The family has plans to. George Norcross (George E. Norcross) was born on 16 March, 1956 in Camden, NJ, is a Businessman. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Claudia Vargas, in Plan for KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in Camden approved by state, reported on the political dealings associated in the establishing of KCNA. As always, another excellent, well researched, article Dr. Benson. Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. I believe in him, but he also needs to believe in us. Five months later, in May 2014 in the same school where he pitched the Camden Commitment to educators and residents, Rouhanifard announced 241 layoffs for Camden schools. A machine performs a prescribed function. "Yes, George is a friend of mine, but George is friendly with a lot of people in Atlantic City," Trump said before becoming president. 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. We both say, Lets stop by and say hi to Jim.. A crooked smile shades his face pink. high-poverty New York City borough where he noticed children with a strong Lexie Norcross, 26, was a controversial figure partly because of her age and relation to George Norcross. When he sets his sights on a target, he captures it. He wouldnt talk to me for this story. When Laskin shot him down, Norcross asked again: This is really important to me personally. The answer was no. I am not in the Norcross bubble, says Jay Lassiter. The Southern New Jersey Regional Employee Benefit Fund, administered by Conner Strong & Buckelew, uses AmeriHealth New Jersey as a provider, according to its website. Norcross is the executive chairman of brokerage firm Conner Strong & Buckelew, where he has worked since 1979. his meteoric rise in education ensued. There was no quid pro quo there. His body hangs forward, and he answers questions tersely, cryptically. He came in better prepared, familiar with every layer of coverage necessary for an idiosyncratic industry comprised of horses, riders and grandstands. Is this altruism? 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. Quick and entertaining New York City local news, events, food, arts, sports and more. 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. 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 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. Protestors sing and dance to support the Rockettes. The wiretapping ended quickly, however, after it became clear that neither Norcross nor the people with whom he works or associates did anything wrong or untoward and was given a clean bill of health. Then, in 2013, the Philly-based Independence Blue Cross sold a 20 percent stake in one of its health insurance subsidiaries to Cooper. Norcross remembers sitting in a political science course at Rutgers-Camden, a 19-year-old making mental note of his professors ignorance. George Norcross firm and partners got N.J. tax credits for Camden offices, years after task force scrutiny. 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. [21], In the wake of the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014, Cooper announced a "Veterans VIP Priority Program" that provided day care to veterans in New Jersey's seven southern counties. 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. Both the new mayor and Johnny Doc owe 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. Stay up to date with the latest materialGet posts via email. George Norcross is a wealthy insurance executive who has become one . He, finally, often ended most of his introductory When Philly.com got word of the three-minute private meeting a few days later and posted a story, it set political insiders buzzing. 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. And the first thing it allows him to do is climb over his own biases. Norcross has a daughter, Lexie, and a son, Alex. The carpenters likely had their own motives for donating so much cash to the elect-Kenney effort: There are plenty of suburban New Jersey carpenters who work on city construction sites. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 16 March. But he knows his apparatus is always geared up to produce the result. (Norcross just recently said that he will relinquish the DNC post.). By contrast, Katz's longtime partner is Inquirer city. According to good education was to him and his family, that he went on to graduate from The last edition was published on October 8, 2015. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. arrival, Rouhanifard freely shared biographical information about his Sure, Kenney has opinions on what hes done in Jersey. The Chief died, in 1998, with that promise unfulfilled. 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. Thats likely part of Norcrosss play in Philadelphia, but it would be uncharacteristic for him to stop there. [16] Norcross said he would invest $50 million in the project,[17] and in March 2017, Norcross announced his company would move to the Camden waterfront as part of a $245 million development. 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. Following the passage of UHA in the winter of 2012, and the announcement of the state takeover of Camden public schools in March 2013, (that would not officially take place in June later that same year), the citys all-appointed school district set about finding a new superintendent to replace interim Superintendent Rueben Mills, who himself, was filling in during the last year of former superintendent Dr. Bessie LeFra Youngs contract. Nothing he does, says historian Howard Gillette, is all bad. George Norcross, a wealthy insurance executive, has for decades run New Jersey's most vaunted Democratic political machine, a seemingly unstoppable behemoth that carries huge influence over who. The words indicate his meaning. Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey. educator, community, and student concerns. 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. South Jersey Assemblyman Troy Singleton is the assistant to the executive secretary-treasurer of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters. I told him Id do whatever I can to be helpful.. WWB Holdings is Lexie Norcrosss entity, the founder and CEO of PhillyVoice. Ron DeSantis. 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). Or so it seemed. 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. Thats just how significant, how full of implicit meaning, a meeting with Norcross is. Norcrosss insurance firm has secured government contracts in Philly in recent years, just as its done in Jersey. No way. 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. 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. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) 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. if ever mentioned, by Rouhanifard was his time on his Teach for America affiliation, As for meeting Norcross's wife of 20 years, -Sandy, or their eight-year-old son, Alex no. When Phil Murphy hired a team of high-powered lawyers to investigate how the state doled out tax breaks, the move was viewed as a declaration of war on the powerful South Jersey political machine.