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. 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. ^ [1], PolitickerNJ.com, November 2014; accessed February 7, 2016. 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! 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. His body hangs forward, and he answers questions tersely, cryptically. As early as January 2014, Rouhanifard, because of his cooperation with CMO leaders and receiving his coronation from both Christie and Cerf, began receiving gushing articles from both conservative and liberal education reform advocates in print. I told him Id do whatever I can to be helpful.. Apparently, you can take the friend out of Jersey, but not vice versa. Working under Joel Klein, chancellor of 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. at NYCDOE, as Office of School Design and Charter Partnerships. Though Norcross was never accused of wrongdoing, the tapes are chilling. Everything he was saying was just wrong, he recalls. The July 28 show on the Camden waterfront was sponsored by PhillyVoice.com, which is run by Donald Norcross' niece, Lexie, the daughter of South Jersey power broker George Norcross. Soon, if the north-south migration of visionary progressives continues, Florida, too, can boast of relentless taxation, over-tolled shoddy highways and all other ills of the once-great state of New Jersey. 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. The super PAC still has an outstanding $1 million loan from a company General American Capital, which Fee said is affiliated with WWB. 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. But there is a larger portrait hereof the political operator as artist, and the artist as an aging, more reflective man. Kenney thanked his unprecedented coalition of diverse groups and repeated his mantra that every neighborhood matters.. He wouldnt be where he is today without Norcross. 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. He, Not to the extent that he did with the Kenney election. [25] Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. 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. daughter. Philadelphians should be very, very wary.. The money raised some eyebrows. 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. In addition to her parents, Bea is preceded in death by her husband, George Norcross; daughter, Pamela Fleeman and 3 grandchildren. George was loved by all and was known as the Gentle Giant. But until we do the research, we dont know.. According to Vail Daily, Neil's grandfather, John, was a partner in a Denver law firm. George. In Jersey, Norcross cried because there were no more worlds to conquer., Then that person adds: Dont quote me on that. [9] His mother died at the age of 84 in 2016. (It was also extended, two years ago, for $500,000.) The slight infuriated Norcross. He is, however, resigned to this fate. Norcross Jr. was active in the community of Camden and a board member of Cooper University Hospital. In June that year, the state approved the partnership. The $88 million media sale to Katz, H.F. Gerry Lenfest and their partners was scheduled to be closed June 10. at Norcrosss firm, to the board of the Convention Center. But the particular subject is never important. 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. [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. 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. 79, of Phoenix, went to be with the Lord on December 13, 2008. It truly would be near impossible to overstate the political reach and influence Norcross exerts in the state. 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. 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. Behind all this striving, Norcross has also maintained a network of admirers. During the early phases of his Our journalism needs your support. Plus this company, plus whatever else Im doing, and you know Im nuts, Im gonna have a heart attack.. 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. if ever mentioned, by Rouhanifard was his time on his Teach for America affiliation, Funding for the event came through General Majority, a Democratic super PAC that dominated New Jerseys legislative elections in 2013 and 2015. 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. 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. New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) during the Bloomberg years, She cant vote him out. The junior Katz is also the CEO of the similarly named Interstate Outdoor Advertising. Today, OPM is referred to 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. 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. The pieces only came together after Kenney won the primary election: Norcrosss fingerprints were all over the money. George Norcross Jr., whom admirers called "Big George" and "Chief," was a longtime AFL-CIO president. For Gods sake, buy me! Both Doc and George need to be the top dog in the room.. General Majority spent $8 million to protect Democrats majorities in the state Senate and Assembly in 2013, and $6 million on Assembly races in 2015, making it the biggest independent spender in those years. , money, salary, income, and assets. One is simply that Norcross is moving into Philly because its good for business. 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. 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. 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. I think George is wrong when he says he cant win, says Paolantonio. Dougherty is going to regret helping Norcross establish a beachhead in Philadelphia, because theres no way this alliance is going to last, one observer says. Still, Norcross asked State Senator Lee Laskin, a Republican, for a favor: Would he put Norcrosss dad on the New Jersey Racing Commission? 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. Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. computer technology from University of North Carolina, and eighteen months of What engages Norcross is besting a challenge with an apparatus that produces a desired result. multi-cultural society. But can the guy with the cigar and the horns really save a city, or can he only serve himself? But she is nowhere to be found on the corporate masthead. Perhaps Norcross, and what he wants, is as much of a mystery to Kenney as he is to the rest of us. 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. In 2014, the New Yorkers Ryan Lizza landed a rare recorded interview with Norcross. Stern. For the next 20 years, Norcross focused on the battlefield of New Jersey politics, to the point that he is now said to own South Jersey. 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. 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. He often spoke about how important getting a 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. 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. When Philly.com got word of the three-minute private meeting a few days later and posted a story, it set political insiders buzzing. After a five-hour court hearing about the injunction, Norcross lost and within minutes, the report was made public. Notice of the issued tax credits was buried in a pair of Excel spreadsheets on a government website. 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. Kenney tells me he has known Norcross for years (Fifteen, 20?), but he doesnt share any anecdotes or insights about the man. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. The Camden County Democratic party has ratcheted down its fund-raising in recent yearsincumbents dont need as much moneybut still ranks fourth among all the counties in the state, and when he wants a race badly enough, he flattens opponents under the heft of cash. Officer in the Office of Portfolio Management (OPM). 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). And the stands they take on the issues reflect the values of any true blue-dog Democrat.. "Yes, George is a friend of mine, but George is friendly with a lot of people in Atlantic City," Trump said before becoming president. But if a Camden resident doesnt like what Norcross is doing, what recourse does she have? And they say his primary motivation isnt power, but his love for his father, which they describe as moving in its sincerity and unusual in its depth. And yet there he isinfluencing even the direction of their police force. White for eleven months and then moved on to the post of Chief of Executive 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. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com. With Rouhanifards apparent political and public relations acumen, coupled with his pro-charter background and his demonstrated willingness to shutter public schools against the wishes of low-income minority residents in gentrifying Williamsburg (Brooklyn), coupled with the expansive nature of UHA and renaissance schools; his advocacy for a forthcoming universal enrollment system (that has been identified as a mechanism to reduce student enrollment in public school but guiding them in to charters), the education reform advocates began celebrating Rouhanifard and the possibilities it meant for public education Camden. And the Chief revealed the meanings behind veiled words and silences. 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. He is also on the Board for Holtec International that received $260 million; Phillip Norcross, brother of George, is CEO of the Parker McKay law firm that represented the Philadelphia 76ers in negotiating the teams $82 million in tax credits. In 2013, Cooper University Health Care in Camden, which Norcross chairs, bought a 20 percent stake in AmeriHealth New Jersey. Meet George Norcross. When Norcross lost control of the newspapers in 2014, after a nasty, deeply personal feud between the owners involving lovers, lawyers and daughters, some wondered if he would retreat from Philly. [22] 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. 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. city educators and public officials, noting Rouhanifards young age, thin $17.99 + $4.99 shipping. "[10], Norcross graduated from Pennsauken High School and briefly attended Rutgers UniversityCamden. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-)