Norcross details Cooper's role in rebuilding Camden

South Jersey's most prominent political power broker and the chairman of Cooper University Hospital, George Norcross, told 100 religious leaders and politicians last night at a community meeting in Camden that Cooper will lead the way for Camden's revitalization.

Norcross used this rare public speech to detail an ongoing $500 million investment by Cooper, the biggest employer in the city, to build a health campus and help revitalize homes, parks and streets. He said it was the largest construction project in the city in 30 years.

"We are taking responsibility for about a 30-block area," he said, so families can live in Camden in the same way his family lives in Cherry Hill.

Norcross spoke fondly of his upbringing in the area and his first job on Cooper Street, and he made a pledge to personally work with city officials, law enforcement and community organizations to "help repair this city."

- Matt Katz