NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 1 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 PROVEN LEADERS IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY With a unique blend of public sector insight and private sector expertise, O’Toole Scrivo delivers effective and innovative solutions to its clients, especially when the stakes are highest. www.oslaw.com 14 Village Park Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 • 973.239.5700 Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, 59th Floor, New York, NY 10118 • 888.663.1117 2 OS_2018 NJGlobe_ad.indd 1 10/4/18 10:29 PM NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 3 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 is proud to support NEW JERSEY GLOBE & CONGRATULATES OUR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS named to the 2019 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST Sean M. Darcy, President PO Box 397, Belmar, NJ 07719 | 609-610-0543 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 EDITOR’S NOTE NE OF THE POLITICAL allegories of The Wizard of Oz came when Dorothy threw a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch and melted her. That caused the palace guards, once fiercely loyal to the powerful witch, to drop to their knees and Oproclaim, “Hail to Dorothy, the Wicked Witch is dead.” Everybody wants to be with the winner, espe- cially in New Jersey. That’s why political power is ephemeral, on a good day. The way to know that is this: start writing down the names of every person who served as chief of staff to the governor of New Jersey. There’s a decent chance you’ll miss Amy Cradic, who held the job less than two years ago. How soon people forget. Power isn’t just transient; it’s also in the eye of the beholder. While the New Jersey Globe Power List for 2019 is subjective, it’s also an objective look at who wields the most influence right now. In New Jersey, the most powerful are the five-tool players – men and women who possess the all of some of these five skills: • The authority and aptitude to directly influence a government action, policy or decision. • The capacity to move extraordinary amounts of money, either governmentally or in pursuit of their political agenda. • The ability to deliver jobs and contracts of significance. • The clout to appreciably move the needle on public opinion. • Metaphorically only: A license to kill someone, “ EVERYBODY WANTS TO if they need to. BE WITH THE WINNER, In the most basic, Jersey-style terms: power is the ability to get shit done. ESPECIALLY IN NEW JERSEY.” – DAVID WILDSTEIN, Editor, New Jersey Globe 5 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 NUMBER George E. Norcross III EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, CONNER STRONG & BUCKELEW GEORGE NORCROSS HAS A HUGE TARGET on his back Missiles have been launched at Norcross from a multitude these days for sure, but as the old adage goes, when you of arsenals: the state’s grassroots progressive activists who shoot the king, you’d better kill him because there’s nothing view him as the man behind the curtain pulling the strings of more worrisome than a wounded monarch in search of those opposing their issues; reporters spellbound by their revenge. desire to expose what they view as a rapacious political boss; Norcross has been atop the political power list for thirty and a governor who has empowered a task force to investi- years and he’s accustomed to people taking shots at him, gate tax credits awarded by the Economic Development although admittedly never as severely and consistently Authority during the previous administration. as this year. While Norcross has taken some direct hits, his detractors New Jersey’s most powerful political insider has faced the have been unable to land a kill shot so far. wrath of political opponents before, but the enormity of the With all the ballyhoo, Norcross has not lost any of his punches he’s taken over the last year would easily kill off a political influence. mere mortal powerbroker. “MISSLES HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED AT NORCROSS FROM A MULTITUDE OF ARSENALS.” 6 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 Elected officials who were devoted to Norcross before the With extraordinary influence over the legislative branch – tax incentives probe remain loyal to him now – perhaps even most specifically the New Jersey State Senate – Norcross more so. long ago solved the Rubik’s Cube of New Jersey politics by Political coalitions between South Jersey, Norcross’ base of figuring out that powerful legislative leaders can sometimes power, have not abandoned him. run the state. Indeed, his allies appear to have doubled down in support His feud with Phil Murphy has escalated to epic propor- of him. tions because Norcross’ legislative allies have been able to Case in point: Cory Booker sought out Norcross to help blockade the governor’s legislative program. Murphy hasn’t him raise money for his presidential campaign. In turn, gotten a millionaire’s tax or legalized marijuana because Booker defended Norcross’ role in rejuvenating the city of Norcross hasn’t said yes. Camden. While Murphy seeks to defrock Norcross – and Republi- Like many modern-day political battles, the war against cans prepare for another gubernatorial election – New Norcross is largely being fought inside the Trenton bubble. Jersey waits to see how this blockbuster measurement of It’s not like real voters know about the EDA task force, and if testicular magnitude plays out. they do, there is no evidence that they care. So George Norcross remains at #1 on the New Since his election as Camden County Democratic Chair- Jersey Globe Power List until someone more powerful man in 1989, Norcross has built a legitimate political comes along. machine, in ways that legends like Frank Hague or Hap Farley would never have imagined. GEORGE NORCROSS’ ORBIT JOSEPH BUCKELEW JEFF NASH Chairman STEVE Camden County AYSCUE Conner Strong & Freeholder President LOUIS Buckelew Checkmate Advisors GREENWALD Cooper University Assembly Majority Leader DONNA PHIL ROBINSON KEVIN NORCROSS RP Consulting MCCABE Founder DONALD Middlesex County Optimus Partners NORCROSS Democratic Congressman MICKEY Chairman QUINN NEIL Dep. Exec Dir DAN OXMAN Assembly Dems FEE The Campaign Founder Group KEVIN The Echo Group O’DOWD Co-President STEVE CHRIS TRISHA JOE SWEENEY MORRIS MUELLER DIVINCENZO Senate President Deputy CEO FRANK MICHAEL Essex County SPENCER Camden County Groundwork Executive CRITCHLEY Second General Clerk Strategies Vice President Partner United Brotherhood Critchley, Kinum CHRIS of Carpenters WILLIAM & DeNoia CHRISTIE TAMBUSSI former Governor Partner BOB MIKE Brown and Conner MENENDEZ MULLER U.S. Senator President NICHOLAS Muller Public JULIE SCUTARI Strategies ROGINSKY Senate Judiciary President Chairman Optimus SUSAN BASS Communications LEVIN CORY JOE BOOKER President & CEO The Cooper BIDEN U.S. Senator Foundation Former Vice President 7 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 2 Tammy Murphy FIRST LADY OF NEW JERSEY IT’S NOT OVERLY DIFFICULT to imagine a world where Tammy Murphy was the governor and her husband was the dutiful First Gentlemen – a sort of salesman-in-chief for the State of New Jersey. When New Jersey elected a new governor two years ago, they got two for the price of one. It’s this sort of co-governorship that makes Tammy Murphy the most powerful First Lady in New Jersey history. With unparalleled influence within the Office of the Governor, the First Lady has emerged as a serious political player and policy maker. She doesn’t just have the governor’s ear – she’s heard by his top staffers as well. Her sway over important decisions facing the state caused the governor’s top antagonist, George E. Norcross III, to accuse Phil Murphy of thinking he’s the King of England and Tammy Murphy of believing she’s the Queen. Tammy Murphy is front and center at every major public event in New Jersey, often with a speaking role. The Governor’s Office issues public schedules for her. She is frequently quoted in press releases. Recent calls to State Committee members seeking support in the race for state chairman came from Phil and Tammy Murphy together. She knows how to act Jackie Kennedy, or when she needs to, like Edith Wilson. TAMMY MURPHY’S ORBIT PHIL MURPHY Governor 8 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 3 George Helmy CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE GOVERNOR NOBODY IN NEW JERSEY is more cognizant of the butterfly effect than George Helmy. Just one year ago, he was Cory Booker’s state director with a seat at the table as his boss prepared to seek the Democratic nomination for president. The conventional wisdom was that Helmy would leave the Senate staff to play a role in the national campaign. Then Pete Cammarano resigned as Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff. That caused Murphy to recruit Helmy to take on a job that is clearly one of the most challenging positions in state government. Now he’s the third most powerful person in New Jersey. Helmy joined the Murphy administration with a reputation for being a strong manager and a straight shooter. He’s made some changes to the way the governor’s office operates – perhaps not as many as he would have liked to – but he’s fixed some of the internal backstabbing that occurred during Murphy’s first year in office and established a stronger chain of command. To be clear, being governor’s chief of staff is no easy job. Helmy must navigate through the treacherous waters of a hugely divided Democratic Party that has too big a tent to keep everybody happy. He stays clear of making things personal and keeps an open line of communication to those Murphy is sparring with. GEORGE HELMY’S ORBIT CORY BOOKER U.S. Senator MATT PLATKIN Chief Counsel PHIL MURPHY Governor TAMMY JOHN MURPHY CURRIE First Lady Democratic State Chairman BOB MENENDEZ U.S.