By Antoinette Miles
In a matter of weeks, the political landscape in New Jersey has changed dramatically, and our political system is being forced to respond.
The Southern New Jersey political machine, which has acted with impunity for decades, is being brought to its knees by a courageous Attorney General.
In a 111-page indictment, Attorney General Matt Platkin details a widespread, years-long corruption scheme and accuses unelected insurance broker George Norcross of leading a vast criminal enterprise to enrich himself at taxpayer expense.
Instead of becoming Camden’s self-appointed savior, Norcross has allegedly treated America’s poorest city as a colonial possession, deploying his lawyer and lobbyist brother Phil Norcross, private attorney Bill Tambussi and political allies to weaponize the government and seize prime waterfront real estate.
The result was favorable tax incentives that funded the construction of an exclusive enclave of corporate buildings, all of which were controlled by Norcross and his associates, paid for in large part by New Jersey taxpayers, and employed very few local residents.
And as the legal process unfolds, it is important that we continue the work of dismantling the political activity at the heart of the indictments.
Platkin’s actions are the culmination of years of fearless grassroots activism led by Black and Brown people that began when Norcross and his allies worked closely with Governor Christie to pass a corporate tax cut bill that boosted Norcross’s business interests.
And this isn’t the only recent indictment against South Jersey political activists! Three days before the indictment against Norcross and his associates was announced, two board members of the South Jersey Transportation Authority were indicted for using their positions to exact political punishment on an engineering firm as part of a political dispute that arose from the contested Mercer County Mayoral election.
Combined, these two cases constitute one of the most significant public corruption investigations in New Jersey history, with implications that will impact every level of government, from the streets of Camden to the powerhouses of Trenton.
And now we see the dominoes starting to fall.
Norcross was forced to step down as chairman of Connor, Strong & Bucklew, the insurance company that was the centerpiece of his political empire.
Tambussi was ousted from the Rutgers University board of trustees after the university’s faculty union won a residency challenge in state high court.
And another Norcross business partner, John O’Donnell, resigned as CEO of the Michaels Organization, the housing developer at the center of the indictment, just days after the company lost a lucrative contract with an Ohio public housing authority.
But key parts of the Norcross organization continue to function, with the key individuals named in the indictment maintaining their top-ranking positions and controlling millions of dollars in expenditures and significant access to taxpayer funds — the very kind of influence prosecutors accuse them of weaponizing.
It is unacceptable that Norcross remains chairman of the board of Cooper University Healthcare, the city’s top hospital system that he has ripped off for decades.
It is unacceptable that his brother remains in the top position of the relevant charity.
It is unacceptable that former Camden Mayor Dana Redd serves as CEO of the Camden Community Partnership, the charity she and Norcross are accused of oppressing.
But what is most unacceptable is that Norcross, his brothers and Tambussi’s companies continue to be awarded millions of dollars in lucrative public sector contracts throughout New Jersey.
The South Jersey Transportation Authority, already clouded by the Norcross indictment, voted to renew its legal services contract with Tambussi’s law firm, Brown & Connelly, less than a week after both indictments were made public.
Norcross and his associates have attempted to pretend it is business as usual, downplaying the charges against them and continuing to leech off public money — enriching themselves at the expense of the taxpayers whose trust they betrayed.
Much more needs to be done to finally change New Jersey’s political culture and eradicate this corrupt political machine.
And if the elected leaders of South Jersey and Trenton can’t muster the courage to stand up to Boss Norcross, New Jersey’s working families and our progressive allies are ready to lead a progressive movement to force change in the courts and at the ballot box.
One thing is certain: our political landscape has been permanently altered by these indictments and will never be the same again.
Antoinette Miles is the New Jersey State Representative for the Working Families Party.
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