Resulting from the 100-day listening tour, Rouhanifard laid out his agenda called the Camden Commitment. Unveiled to the public for the first time on January 28, 2014 at Octavius V. Catto Family School in the East Camden neighborhood, the Camden Commitment focused on five components: better academic performance in schools, improved customer service, greater efficiency in district administrative offices, school safety, and tighter District spending. 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. At the podium, hes upbeat and charming. His 17-year-old daughter, Lexie, walks in for dinner with an old family friend, a Camden attorney. 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. What might Norcross actually do for Philadelphia? 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. There were two other super PACs in the race, both of which supported Kenney, but they got far less attention from the media. The Camden Norcross seeks to create is both modernized and tech-savvy. This is the state of Philly politics: The only plausible check on Johnny Doc is George Norcross, another unelected white guy thisclose to the building trades. 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's net worth The super PAC paid for TV, radio and mail ads to boost Democratic Assemblymen John . Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. 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. 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. 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. True to form, Norcross has accomplished all this in the dark, granting not a single on-the-record interview about these moves. Docs biggest labor enemy was rendered impotent, and Norcrosss allies are now in charge of the citys carpenters. He is from American. During the early phases of his 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. He has close ties to Jersey carpenters. 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. So right there and then, the likely next mayor of Philadelphia sat down for a brief tte--tte with the lord of South Jersey. Having two bachelors degrees in economics and The neighborhood in which KNCA is situated is one where the most visible signs of redevelopment with massive building construction, home rehabilitation, and rising home prices are apparent. George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a Democratic Party organizer and power broker in southern New Jersey. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital both in Camden, New Jersey, and has served as a trustee since 1990. 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. 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. In person, however, Norcross holds his ground. Norcrosss insurance firm has secured government contracts in Philly in recent years, just as its done in Jersey. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. George was loved by all and was known as the Gentle Giant. Fee said Conner Strong & Buckelew was not involved in the concert. A few months after the primary, Kenney was the featured guest at a fund-raiser for Norcrosss brother, U.S. Representative Donald Norcross. The elder Norcross died in May 1998; his son's voice gets softer as he pulls mementos out . So they set off to Vie, a restaurant on North Broad Street where Kenney was holding his victory party. Urban Educator Fighting for Public Education for our Communities and Finding My Voice in the Process, from Chapter 3 of Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising Public Education and Urban Redvelopment in Camden, NJ (2018, Peter Lang USA), George Norcross III and No city, let alone one with Camdens crime problems, has ever replaced half its force with such speed before. Norcross, in his statement, said the three companies at the tower, known as Triad1828 Centre, and their leaders "have invested more . 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. 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. 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. $17.99 + $4.99 shipping. After thorough investigations and significant media coverage, he was not charged. No, not since then., But when I ask why Norcross supported him not whether he did well, then Kenney opens up, a little. Today, OPM is referred to 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. She was remembered as "a tireless advocate for senior citizens.". We share a bridge. high-poverty New York City borough where he noticed children with a strong 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. So it never took place, Kenney says. He is regarded as New Jersey's most powerful unelected leader. in Tennessee during the 1980s. Apparently, you can take the friend out of Jersey, but not vice versa. Its only natural to wonder when my number will come up.. FILE - In this March 5, 2014 file photo, George Norcross, addresses a gathering at a groundbreaking ceremony in Camden, N.J., for a new kind of school that Norcross' family foundation will help fund. Then, in 2013, the Philly-based Independence Blue Cross sold a 20 percent stake in one of its health insurance subsidiaries to Cooper. The domain of the website was registered to Norcrosss insurance firm that is, until Technical.ly Philly wrote about that juicy little detail. The most powerful man in New Jersey has never held public office. 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. Where to begin? At the time, recalls Norcross, four hundred grand was like $4 million.. Weve got to make it safer here, he says, and weve got to improve the quality of education, or no one will move here and anyone who achieves any measure of success wont stay.. 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. Johnny Doc wouldnt talk. "Yes, George is a friend of mine, but George is friendly with a lot of people in Atlantic City," Trump said before becoming president. Nearly two thirds of $1.6 billion in tax incentives in his hometown of Camden, New Jersey, went to his own company, business partners, political allies and clients of his . The Southern New Jersey Regional Employee Benefit Fund, administered by Conner Strong & Buckelew, uses AmeriHealth New Jersey as a provider, according to its website. So, how much is George Norcross worth at the age of 66 years old? 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. [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. Philadelphians should be very, very wary.. 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. In short, it seems Norcross still cannot fully process just why he wants what he wants. Or at least, that was the assumption of all the heavies in Philadelphias political class. 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. Brady says that if incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has an issue he was indicted on corruption charges last year I would do everything I can to help Donald Norcross.. His candidates do bring a certain level of competence, he says. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital both in Camden, New Jersey, and has served as a trustee since 1990. 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. Theres a great quote about Alexander the Great: He cried because there were no worlds to conquer, says one political insider. 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. I meet with him in the Mayors Reception Room in City Hall, where hes holding a press conference encouraging Philadelphians to vote. It truly would be near impossible to overstate the political reach and influence Norcross exerts in the state. He wasnt permitted to have the conversation. 41. Additionally, many of the homes surrounding KCNA have either been purchased by Coopers Ferry Partnership or acquired through eminent domain. Things have evolved, says 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. Hes not. 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. It was the most expensive senate race in the history of New Jersey, which raises a question: Is this democracyor an auction? speeches highlighting his time teaching in a primary school in a low-income, 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. 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. White for eleven months and then moved on to the post of Chief of Executive daughter. 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. 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.. [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. Nowadays, Trump definitely has that kind of power and . He dabbled in Philly politics a bit. 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. 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. 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.. Aside from Call 1-212-653-8737, My City Paper , mycitypaper.com 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. TRENTON, N.J. It took three decades for Democratic power broker George Norcross to build one of the most effective and influential political machines in the country. (It was renewed last year, for $310,000.) The domain of the website was registered to Norcross's insurance. Though Norcross was never accused of wrongdoing, the tapes are chilling. Look, he says. , money, salary, income, and assets. The concert was co-sponsored by a number of entities, including AmeriHealth, which made a contribution to General Majority PAC Convention 2016.. (He has a great vision for Camden.) Kenney even says he may ask Norcross for advice from time to time. By evaluating access to high-quality schools, the demand for educational services and the supply of space available for those services, Office of Portfolio Management strives to develop the optimal distribution of schools and educational programs. Her first husband was Mitja Nikisch, a pianist and son of celebrated orchestral conductor Arthur Nikisch.They divorced circa 1934. It happened in the early 80s when he won his first big insurance contract, at the Garden State Park race track. To his credit, one person who does agree to be interviewed for this story is Jim Kenney. Through the 60s and 70s, he made a practice of bringing Young George to meet New Jersey governors, senators, congressional leaders and business people. teaching experience and lack of state credentials, his arrival in Camden had Thats, understandably, a concern., The Kings Speech: What Kids Should Know About MLKs Dream, Underlings fear his wrath. To make a long, f-bomb-filled story short, Norcross succeeded. 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. In a city like Camden, theres a sisterhood, brotherhood with Philadelphia. 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. at Norcrosss firm, to the board of the Convention Center. The super PAC still has an outstanding $1 million loan from a company General American Capital, which Fee said is affiliated with WWB. Rouhanifard has some great ideas, and we just hope he communicates with us as teachers. (Theres a good number of executives who are in the private sector, who I bounce ideas off of.) But Kenney doesnt talk about Norcross the way you talk about a person you really know. I am not in the Norcross bubble, says Jay Lassiter. He wouldnt be where he is today without Norcross. By this theory, the land now set aside for the KIPP Cooper charter might never house a school at alland instead wind up serving as land on which Cooper University Hospital can expand.