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. And it was Norcrosss longtime adman, Neil Oxman, who produced the pro-Kenney TV commercials funded by all that super-PAC cash. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. + $4.99 shipping. Correction: This article earlier stated that Lexie Norcross would be terminated when the sale of the papers was completed. But he didnt dive in. 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. At Catto, Rouhanifard also mentioned his desire to see a boarding school established in Camden, as well as a computer-based enrollment system similar to that which he instituted in Newark before his arrival. Alessandra T. Norcross is, according to a September report, 25 years old. (Interstate 195 in New Jersey is the highway that runs from Trenton, along the Delaware, across the state to the shore; essentially dividing New Jersey, geographically, two halves; North Jersey and South Jersey.) He told me that he couldnt remember ever doing a taped interview with a reporter, and glared at my recording device, Lizza later wrote. [9] His mother died at the age of 84 in 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! And why would they cross their Philly brethren in Carpenters Union Local 8, which was backing Williams in the race? 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. Coopers medical school yields prestige and a much-needed influx of youth and smarts. 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. [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. Genealogy for George Howard Norcross, Sr. (1818 - 1896) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. The contribution to General Majority was in support of the concert and it was our understanding that is how the donation would be and was used., Roman said Amerihealth committed to the payment well before October., AmeriHealth Inc. did not advertise its sponsorship of the event, Roman said, because we saw this event as good for Camden and the region and not about us, which she said is also how we approached other civic events in the region that we supported.. However, I think I am going to decline at this time., He declined your request for an interview both on and off the record.. At the podium, hes upbeat and charming. Or so it seemed. But it appears that without Norcross, the most pivotal donation of the 2015 mayoral race never would have happened. I just cant win., My biggest mistake was allowing myself to be defined and branded in the 90s, he continues. The money, however, wasnt used on an election. 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. George Crabtree meets Nina Bloom in From Buffalo With Love towards the end of Season 9. 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. This is an auction. But until we do the research, we dont know.. at NYCDOE, as Office of School Design and Charter Partnerships. George Norcross' daughter, Alessandra, a director of the parent company of the Inquirer, is an officer of the foundation and a board member of KCNA." Further, both residents and reporters paid specific attention to the proposed, and eventual, location of the KCNA and the history regarding the demolition and refusal to rebuild the public . In another DRPA-related transaction, Norcrosss insurance firm received $410,000not for actually doing the authoritys insurance work, but for referring that business to another insurance firm, Willis of New Jersey. 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.. AmeriHealth New Jersey has close ties to George Norcross. 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. The best answer might be both: In fortifying Cooper University Hospital, Norcross ensures some vibrant legacy for his family. It was May 19th, the day Jim Kenney won the mayoral primary in a landslide. And that said, if George Norcross came at me with some money, to be part of another campaign, Id do it, gratefully. Now, we learn that the great champion of South Jersey Democrats, George Norcross III, has declared himself as a Florida. GEORGE NORCROSS OBITUARY. Hes long been criticized for doing insurance business with many of the governments with which he has ties as a political leader. He is not happy that he has been, as he puts it, caricatured as a bad guy. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com. To his credit, one person who does agree to be interviewed for this story is Jim Kenney. 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. George Howard Norcross, Jr. son. 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. 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. The Camden Rising concert, which was meant to showcase Camden to visiting delegates during the Democratic National Convention in nearby Philadelphia, also displayed the power of the Norcross family, with Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross helping to introduce the acts. His body hangs forward, and he answers questions tersely, cryptically. Things Aint Always what They Seem: Our Society is in Deep Trouble and Oligarchy is the Blame, What the Fight For Camden(NJ) Schools Truly is(a Struggle for Our Survival), Buy Education Reform and Gentification in the Age of #CamdenRising: Public Education and Urban Redevelopment in the Camden, NJ, Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising Public Education and Urban Redvelopment in Camden, NJ, The Myth and Traction of the Failing Urban School Narrative, Camden Education Association 840 Cooper St. Camden, NJ. 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. Never again will that happen. In Philadelphia, all eyes were on one super PAC in particular: American Cities, which was backing Tony Williams for mayor. educator, community, and student concerns. 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. There was no quid pro quo there. (It was also extended, two years ago, for $500,000.) And there is: Norcross grins about as much as youd expect from a fabulously wealthy, healthy man. He pores over the relevant data and, like a military commander, plots out a campaign that will bring victory. We share a bridge. So, how much is George Norcross worth at the age of 66 years old? City Paper has not, to be clear, received any complaints about the work ethic of any of the three. Because they know we put up the gun and we pulled the trigger and we blew their brains out. And he makes clear what he has done to men who have crossed him: I sat him down and said, Herb, dont fuck with me on this one cause Ill tell you if you ever do that and I catch you one more time doing it, youre gonna get your fucking balls cut off.. But his body language conveys his feeling: His butt shifts suddenly in his seat. arrival, Rouhanifard freely shared biographical information about his The wonder Norcross conveys at his own zeal for confronting obstacles suggests that his restless journeying between political, business and social challenges isnt something he understands or perhaps even controls. And as far as many carpenters were concerned, Philly carpenters boss Ed Coryell had gone off the reservation. 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. 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. 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. So right there and then, the likely next mayor of Philadelphia sat down for a brief tte--tte with the lord of South 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. [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. Errichetti had appointed Norcross director of a reconstituted Camden Parking Authority in 1978 when Norcross was only twenty-two. About 15 years ago, John Gural, a then-Palmyra councilman who claimed he was being pressured and bribed to fire an enemy of Norcrosss, recorded the political boss with a hidden microphone. When his father died in May 1998, George III found the note in his father's wallet, something the senior Mr. Norcross had presumably been carrying since his son gave it to him about. Both Doc and George need to be the top dog in the room.. We have estimated Soon after Rouhanifard took the helm at Camden, a school district 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. 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. at Norcrosss firm, to the board of the Convention Center. The Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol Building was as much an example of domestic terrorism as flying airplanes into tall buildings was an example of foreign terrorism. 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. He dabbled in Philly politics a bit. Katz son, Drew Katz, will inherit his fathers stake in the companies. 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. And if they were hazy on the details, well, all the better. From left: Bob Brady, Jim Kenney, George Norcross, Lexie Norcross, Steve Sweeney, John Dougherty, Ed Coryell (in water). Retrieved May 26, 2019. Thats likely part of Norcrosss play in Philadelphia, but it would be uncharacteristic for him to stop there. But to be certain Cooper will succeed, he must consider the health of the city as a whole. You can learn just by observing., Afterward, on the way home, Young George would pepper his dad with questions. Not even after the election? Sure, Kenney has opinions on what hes done in Jersey. Thats just how significant, how full of implicit meaning, a meeting with Norcross is. In 2014, it landed yet another contract, worth $660,000, with the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Norcross is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey and has served as a trustee since 1990. Biography. His daughter, Lexie Norcross, helped run the Philly.com website, which often uses celebrity news and other teasers to draw online clicks. One is simply that Norcross is moving into Philly because its good for business. Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. 42 (Extensions of Remarks - March 16, 2016)", "George Norcross Jr., Labor And Civic Leader", "Carol C. Norcross, 84, advocate for seniors, matriarch of a powerful South Jersey family", "Norcross to be sworn in to House seat on Wednesday", "Philadelphia Restauranteur Plans to Open Two Restaurants Along Camden Waterfront", "MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper Celebrates Five Years", "Cooper honored for its Veterans VIP program", Partnership of Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden, "George Norcross: The good works of the Dark Lord (Moran)", "U.S. Attorney ends speculation about Norcross", "Attorney Kevin Sheehan is Mentioned in Reference to "Unregistered Lobbying" Found by NJEDA Task Force", "Judge Rules Against George Norcross Efforts to Stop NJEDA Task Force", "Governor's Task Force on EDA Tax Incentives", "George E. Norcross III, Executive Chairman", "South Jersey Democrat is Among the State's Wealthiest; George Norcross III made njbiz.com's list at No. . We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 16 March. But he also grimaces. He is a smart, competent man. Paymon Rouhanifard was only thirty-two when he was appointed to 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. When the Philadelphia Business Journal asked a spokesman at PhillyVoice whether Norcross owned the site, he declined to confirm that or anything else about PhillyVoice. To this day, the website refuses to say whether Norcross was an investor. Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey. In June that year, the state approved the partnership. Trump still planting seeds of stolen election. Its a kick-ass purple robot! In this lifetime, I cant win. ^ [1], PolitickerNJ.com, November 2014; accessed February 7, 2016. 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. his meteoric rise in education ensued. And I wasnt permitted to. Probably because he thought I would be a good mayor, he says. Next, Rouhanifard left the classroom and worked as a financial analyst for Jennifer Beck, a Republican legislator from Monmouth County, has since proposed a bill to plug up this hole in the public trough. 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. 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. There were two other super PACs in the race, both of which supported Kenney, but they got far less attention from the media. Thats, understandably, a concern., The Kings Speech: What Kids Should Know About MLKs Dream, Underlings fear his wrath. 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." And Im getting older now. 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. Increase website traffic and elevate your brand with a CMS Bot business website. These changes include but are not limited to: Opening high potential new schools and closing underperforming schools; establishing enrollment/admissions criteria; altering schools grade configurations; revising elementary and middle school zoning in order to impact enrollment and school size; improving the availability of programs to serve special populations, including Gifted & Talented, English Language Learners and students with disabilities, and Pre-Kindergarten. . According to Vail Daily, Neil's grandfather, John, was a partner in a Denver law firm. 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. the NJ Urban Hope Act of 2012. Due to Katz sudden death the sale may not be closed as scheduled and Norcross has reportedly offered a 30-day extension. The family has plans to. He formerly belonged to Mar-a-Lago, the club owned by former United States President Donald Trump.[7]. In person, however, Norcross holds his ground. 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. On Oct. 25, AmeriHealth Inc. donated $1 million to the super PAC, which three days later paid back the $950,000 loan. South Jersey business magnate George E. Norcross III and his family will become majority partners of a longtime Atlantic City bread and submarine roll maker next month. within a city known for generational poverty and where 23 of 26 schools were It was during Rouhanifards time at NYDOE where he would meet the eventual NJDOE Commissioner Cerf, who would later recruit him to lead Camdens school district. That evening we had a dinner meeting with a potential business partner, says Hilferty, and we hear on the radio that Jim has won the primary. persecution, how their familys assets were frozen, that he and his family they Behind all this striving, Norcross has also maintained a network of admirers. As for meeting Norcross's wife of 20 years, -Sandy, or their eight-year-old son, Alex no. During the early phases of his At the time, recalls Norcross, four hundred grand was like $4 million.. Hes done wonders for South Jersey, says Rendell. My friend still votes for Democrats, and lately has been lamenting the GOP administration of Gov. What was rarely, 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. After thorough investigations and significant media coverage, he was not charged. 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 . [25] Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. The McGreeveys. Resident Moneke Ragsdale remarked: The public needs to know how this happened. When he sets his sights on a target, he captures it. AmeriHealth Inc.s donation did not pay for the entire event. He is from American. 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. Goldman Sachs and as an associate at AEA Investors, LP on Wall St. From there, For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com. Lexie Norcross, 26, was a controversial figure partly because of her age and relation to George Norcross. Neil's mom and dad, David Gorsuch and Anne . One of his longtime Jersey allies is Frank Spencer, a VP at the national carpenters union. Apparently, you can take the friend out of Jersey, but not vice versa. Theres a great quote about Alexander the Great: He cried because there were no worlds to conquer, says one political insider. Plus this company, plus whatever else Im doing, and you know Im nuts, Im gonna have a heart attack.. Norcross has a daughter, Lexie, and a son, Alex. 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. He has three brothers: Donald, a United States Congressman representing New Jersey's 1st congressional district;[11] Philip, managing partner of the law firm Parker McCay;[12] and John, a psychologist, author, and professor at the University of Scranton. There was plenty of journalistic handwringing over the fact that a powerful political figure now partly controlled a major local media company. When Norcross does speak to reporters, he often dictates the terms. 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. He could work in politics, insurance, bomb building, or the construction of a better mousetrap, and hed enjoy the same electric charge emanating from the same place. 41. Later that year, a journalism start-up called PhillyVoice launched, with Norcross's 20-something daughter Lexie at the helm. The Norcross name is very familiar to virtually any Democrat with designs on rising through the political ranks in South Jersey. 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. In 2014, the New Yorkers Ryan Lizza landed a rare recorded interview with Norcross. George Norcross (George E. Norcross) was born on 16 March, 1956 in Camden, NJ, is a Businessman. No way. And the first thing it allows him to do is climb over his own biases. 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. 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. And I got portrayed, you know, as the guy with the cigar and the horns., Norcrosss critics believe hes not difficult to understand. [27], An investigative task force was formed to look into the operations and procedures of the EDA. They all will work with me, not because they like me, but because they have no choice. Despite having access to recorded evidence of Norcross trying to manipulate public hiring decision and contracts, Christie refused to pursue any investigation against Norcross despite the insistence of two NJ assistant attorneys general attesting to the validity of their investigation. 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. Friends may call on Thursday, June 9, 2022 from 9:00 am until . That error has been corrected above. As the years passed, Norcross sometimes joked that he was different enough from his dadfierce and ambitious, where the Chief was gentle and content; feared, where his dad was belovedthat he wondered if he had been adopted or left on the doorstep. In addition to her parents, Bea is preceded in death by her husband, George Norcross; daughter, Pamela Fleeman and 3 grandchildren. FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER, Norcross, 60, stayed on his side of the Delaware. In a city like Camden, theres a sisterhood, brotherhood with Philadelphia. Im not that expensive!. But a lot of people I care about are, so in deference to them, I wouldnt want to say anything negative. Not as much, he replies, confusingly. True to form, Norcross has accomplished all this in the dark, granting not a single on-the-record interview about these moves. The super PAC still has an outstanding $1 million loan from a company General American Capital, which Fee said is affiliated with WWB. Isaiah Wesley Norcross. Its only natural to wonder when my number will come up.. Norcross and his partners own five properties there. In other words, as the finish line looms in the distance, Norcross has tuned his apparatus to securing a legacyand the result is his broadest, most civic-minded set of aims yet. He was a labor leader and served as a trustee of Cooper University Hospital. 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. 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.