Seismic Activity in New Jersey Politics
change is coming...
On so many levels, Pandora’s Box is being pried open. A shift is happening on every realm. Can you feel it?
Here in New Jersey, the jig may be up for at least a handful of political kingpins.
George Norcross III, a powerful Democratic power broker, was charged with racketeering on Monday along with five others including his personal lawyer, his brother, and a former Camden mayor…
The indictment accuses Norcross of overseeing a criminal enterprise, using direct threats and intimidation to win development rights along the Camden waterfront and then benefiting from millions of dollars in state-issued tax credits.
…The charges including racketeering, official misconduct, conspiracy to commit theft, financial facilitation of criminal activity, and misconduct by a corporate official.
Norcross denies the allegations. Norcross, an insurance executive and chairman of the Camden-based Cooper University Health Care, has long maintained great political power in Camden and in greater South Jersey. His brother Donald is a member of the House of Representatives.
The Norcross indictment is being called an “Atomic Bomb on New Jersey Politics.”
Norcross ruled much of New Jersey for decades and, at his peak, wielded power rivaling governors — shaping elections, legislation and the political careers of Democrats across the state.
His indictment is just the latest in a series of political shockwaves that have struck New Jersey over the past year. Sen. Bob Menendez, another powerful political boss held in awe by lower-level political players, is in the middle of a corruption trial. And that comes just months after a federal judge struck down the “county line” — a tool long used by New Jersey’s political machines to suppress intra-party challengers — for the 2024 Democratic primary…
“George Norcross has been running a criminal enterprise in the state for at least the last 12 years. This alleged conduct of the Norcross enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, the people of the state of New Jersey and especially — especially — to the city of Camden and its residents,” state attorney general Matt Platkin said at a news conference — with Norcross, uninvited, sitting just feet in front of him. “That stops today.”
This is likely bad news for former Senate president, Stephen Sweeney - a childhood friend and political ally of Norcross - who is hoping to be the next governor of New Jersey. (And that’s good news for health freedom.)
This video, which surfaced during New Jersey’s battle to preserve religious exemptions to mandatory vaccination in 2019, offers some insight.
The story actually goes back to the two of them being childhood friends. George Norcross became successful, but he knew he had to stay out of politics if he wanted to keep his insurance contracts private. So he convinced Steve to become a politician. But Norcross calls the shots when he needs something done. So Norcross runs an insurance firm called Connor, Strong & Buckelew, which has worked with townships and municipal authorities for over 30 years. And Norcross has used his firm to build a tremendous amount of political connections for his quid pro quo operation. Connor, Strong and Buckelew also works with a multitude of pharmaceutical companies across the nation in research and development of vaccines, human clinical trials, product recall and integrative risk programs. The information on the majority of those clients is private.
Recently the pressure has been put on Norcross, who is currently under investigation for committing fraud against the New Jersey economic authority, the NJEDA, where a multitude of companies he is affiliated with, including Connor, Strong and Buckelew, Cooper University and Holteck, which holds board positions, and Teva Phamaceuticals all had millions in tax incentives frozen due to fraud. Teva Pharmaceuticals just settled a $23 billion case as a main plaintiff in the opioid epidemic and they were also found guilty of price-fixing prescription drugs. This company is also in the business of vaccines, yet they are receiving tax incentives from our state.
Sweeney and former governor Christie appointed the majority of the board members for the NJEDA who then helped push Norcross and his affiliates through the process of approval, winning them millions in tax incentives.
Governor Murphy recently formed a task force to investigate this corruption, which also involves Philip Norcross, George’s brother who helped craft the legislation for the tax incentives.
Perhaps Assemblyman Herb Conaway, who is running for Congress, wants to reconsider his recent assertion that Norcross is a “force for good.”
And now questions about an unsolved New Jersey political murder mystery are resurfacing…
For Mark Sheridan, an attorney whose father and mother were killed in their Somerset County home in a homicide that remains unresolved after nearly a decade, Monday’s indictment of the political boss George Norcross tore open old wounds.
One section of the indictment in particular -- the one involving his dad. It describes a real estate deal that created a serious rift between Norcross and John Sheridan, Mark’s father, a deeply respected advisor to governors in both parties. Norcross and the senior Sheridan had been friends, but in the months before Sheridan’s violent death, he told his son that he was deeply troubled by a stubborn argument with Norcross over a patch of land on the Camden waterfront. At the time of the Sheridans’ death in September 2014, the dining room table was covered with documents about this dispute.
The Sheridan killings were the focus of popular podcast that you can listen to here.
Change on the Horizon?
The good news is that New Jerseyans seem to be waking up and actively working for change.
One sign of that change is the victory of Carlos Santos.
Santos defeated 10-year incumbent Glenn Mortimer to become Union County Republican Chairman by a vote of 242 to 145. This was an establishment-defying victory that represents formidable grassroots and community-building efforts on the part of Santos and his team.
Mortimer, the county chairman since 2014, had the support of Rep. Thomas Kean (R-Westfield), State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), Assemblywomen Michele Matsikoudis (R-New Providence) and Nancy Munoz (R-Summit), and eight GOP municipal chairs. Santos had been getting help from supporters of other gubernatorial candidates who believe Bramnick will win the organization slogan in his campaign for governor.
Santos had the backing of municipal chairs in Springfield, Plainfield, Winfield Park, Roselle Park, Elizabeth, Union, Linden, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Garwood, Roselle, Hillside, and Clark, where Mayor Sal Bonnacorso is chair.
After discovering that fewer than 200 of 800 available county committee seats were filled, Santos set about pounding the pavement and knocking on over 20,000 doors in some of the most Democratic areas in Union County. In the true spirit of inclusion, Santos galvanized local communities in all 21 towns - hosting monthly breakfasts, fundraisers and free events - and managed to fill a whopping 300 vacant county committee seats. This means a seat at the table for towns like Elizabeth and Linden that haven’t had active committees in over a decade.
Last night these folks were eager to use their voices and cast their votes.
I stood outside speaking to people after they voted and witnessed a sincere manifestation of diversity. People from different cultural and economic backgrounds who had discovered common ground and were working together to create change. They were full of optimism and great ideas. It felt nothing like party politics as usual.
And since I can’t stand party politics and I love good ideas, this makes me hopeful.
Congratulations, Carlos! You earned it!
I think it's exciting! Finally. After years the needle is starting to move.
both parties are corrupt