Features: Who Really Runs This Town?

40. George Norcross,
South Jersey political operative. Rank in 2000: Not on list
You want to build, say, some high-rise condos in Cherry Hill? Get on the school board in Voorhees? Better get to know this guy and his minions. (They’re easy to find, south of Turnpike exit 7A. They’re Democrats — pretty much any Democrats with oomph.) You won’t get much done these days in South Jersey without approval from Boss Norcross, 49, who has turned Vernon Hill’s Commerce Bank (where Norcross is an insurance executive) into a political player; Norcross is also making inroads into North Jersey and state elections.
Strength: “The most competitive guy I’ve ever been around,” says Philly lawyer Art Makadon (who, at #tk on the list, knows competitive).
Weakness: “Fire that fuck … get rid of [him] … and teach this jerk-off a lesson” — that’s Norcross caught on tape, talking about an enemy. As we said, he’s a tad competitive.

41. BOB ASHER
CEO of Asher’s Candies, Republican National Committeeman for Pennsylvania. Rank in 2000: 89.
This 68-year-old candyman is Vince Fumo’s Republican clone, a shrewd party boss who parlayed his family business into a statewide political machine. Asher’s prolific fund-raising abilities have given him connections that run from Montgomery County to Harrisburg to the White House; he’s one of four Pennsylvania Republicans among the ranks of George W. Bush’s $100,000-plus Pioneer Club. Asher’s endorsement is almost a prerequisite for holding statewide office, something Bruce Castor learned in his unsuccessful run for state Attorney General. “If you’re going to get anywhere in the party, you have to go through Asher,” says one colleague. “He is very good at putting his people in key places.” Like Fumo, he’s a pragmatist who values loyalty and trustworthiness above all else.
Strength: High-mindedness. Asher can mix it up with the best of them, but he’s also known for his ability to rise out of the partisan muck and do what’s best for the region. Parking authority chief Joe Egan gives him much of the credit for pushing the first Convention Center plan through Harrisburg.
Weakness: His past. Twenty years ago, Asher went to prison for tk years for funneling a $300,000 state contract into party coffers.

42. MANNY STAMATAKIS
CEO, Capital Management Enterprises. Rank in 2000: 17
If there’s a big project being planned, financed or built in Philadelphia, chances are that Stamatakis, 57, is involved. A former head of the Delaware River Port Authority, president and CEO of his own insurance company (Capital Management), and a prodigious Republican fund-raiser (President Bush once referred to him, Cher-like, as simply “Manny”) who nevertheless gives generously to Democrats, this consummate insider has played a role in everything from the Linc and Citizens Bank Park to the National Constitution Center. For all his civic-mindedness, however, Stamatakis has long drawn his share of critics, largely due to his penchant for doing well by doing good. He made a nice chunk of change [tkb — how much], for example, after signing up as a benefits consultant during Rendell’s first mayoral term.
Strength: Known as a guy who can get things done, he’s a trusted confidant of both Democrats and Republicans.
Weakness: Though not accused of wrong-doing, his name  came up in the  corruption probe thanks to his ties to Ron White, with whom he was recorded discussing a$10,000-a-month cinsulting fee he’d been paying to DRPA Board Member Robert Bogle. 

43. FRED SHABEL
vice chairman, Comcast-Spectacor. Rank in 2000: Not on the list
Long known as one of the city’s most capable behind-the scenes operatives, Shabel, 85, has had one of the more unorthodox career paths for a power player. A onetime college basketball coach (at Duke and UConn) and athletic director at Penn (he hired Chuck Daley), he joined Comcast-Spectacor 25 years ago to be Ed Snider’s aide-de-camp. In recent years, Shabel has devoted much of his time to civic causes; he was chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Corp. from 1999 to 2003, and still serves on numerous local boards, from the Chamber of Commerce to the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center.
Strength: Like almost everyone on this list, Shabel is known for being incredibly smart. Unlike everyone else, he’s also known for being incredibly loyal and disarmingly funny.
Weakness: He’s not a spring chicken.

44. Herb H. Lusk II
pastor, Greater Exodus Baptist Church; CEO, People for People, Inc. Rank in 2000: Not on the list
Lusk, a former Eagles running back, has led North Philly’s Greater Exodus Baptist Church for more than 20 years, but he is best known as the CEO and life-force behind People for People, Inc., a faith-based social service organization that now boasts everything from a charter school to a credit union. His good deeds — and ability to deliver on promises — have made him a favorite of local and national politicians, including President Bush. Yet Lusk has used that access to do more than compile a really interesting Rolodex, leveraging his relationships to obtain millions for his causes: People for People, Inc., and Stand for Africa, which seeks to provide money and resources to African organizations combating the continent’s AIDS epidemic.
Strength: As one of the few African-American religious leaders in the country who has steadfastly supported the Bush administration over the past six years, Lusk has a hotline to the White House.
Weakness: As one of the few African-American religious leaders in the country who has steadfastly supported the Bush administration over the past six years, he’s considered politically out of step with most African-American voters.