Gov. Phil Murphy was the featured attraction Monday night at a fund-raiser supporting American Representative Majority, a political action committee connected to George Norcross.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. A relationship that started out frosty (and that’s being kind) is now warm and friendly. Norcross and Murphy are close.
How close? Norcross told BINJE that the relationship is so cordial that he can’t remember why it wasn’t in the first place.
“I obviously had a difficult relationship with the first two years, but from the time he and I smoked a peace pipe to today, we’ve had a fabulous relationship,” he said. “He’s a man of his word.
“He has been so committed to everything and anything to advance the interest of Camden South Jersey, there’s not a time you can’t call him on a phone day or night. He has been terrific.”
Norcross gave credit to Murphy’s entire team, especially chief of staff George Helmy, who he compared to Cooper Co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd, who served as chief of staff to former Gov. Chris Christie.
“To this moment, George Helmy is the greatest chief of staff, aside from Kevin O’Dowd, I’ve ever worked with in my life,” he said. “Terrific person to work alongside. They knew how to get things done. They were the can-do club members that I really applaud.”
Norcross said he only has one big regret during the Murphy years – it’s one Murphy shares, he said.
“The only thing he and I wonder about is, Why the hell did we fight in the first place?” he said. “We could never figure out why that happened, because it’s unfortunate, because we got along so well after that.”
Norcross getting along with a governor is not surprising. He’s had a close relationship with nearly every chief executive for decades, especially the past two.
Norcross, however, will be the first one to say his famed relationship with Christie had its moments, too.
“Gov. Christie and I had the closest relationship, but we fought like hell at times, too,” he said. “We’d scream and yell at each other, but we always understood that we had to come out and figure out how to get things done.”
The respect Norcross has for Christie remains.
“He literally saved the city of Camden,” he said.
