Mr Norman was first elected as a Deputy for St Clement in 1983 and was known for his direct and no-nonsense style of politics.
He remained a Deputy until 1996, when he successfully stood in the Senatorial elections. He became St Clement Constable in 2008 – a position he held until his death at the age of 73 – and was Chief Minister John Le Fondré’s pick to take on the Home Affairs role in 2018. During his time in the States he also served as President of the Education Committee, President of the Housing Committee, President of the Social Security Committee and chairman of the Privileges and Procedures Committee, among other roles.
Peter Tabb, who previously worked with Mr Norman at the JEP, said he was easy to get along with and was dedicated to his community.
‘I knew him from when we worked at the Evening Post in the 1960s. He and I worked in the advertising department and he went on to do other things – working for the Country Gentleman’s Association, then in insurance and then the States,’ he said.
‘In one instance he had a lawn mower franchise and he organised a grand prix at Samarès Manor. Also, when he was at the CGA he got very excited and said that he had found something that would set the world on fire – the Sinclair C5. I think he got one over, demonstrated it but then realised it was quite lethal in traffic. But you could say he was a pioneer in electric vehicles and well ahead of his field there.’
Mr Tabb said that he had had dinner with Mr Norman in November, during which they had discussed politics. He added he was reasonably confident that Mr Norman had intended to stand for election again next year.
‘He was very easy to get on with and he had a very dry wit and knew how to deploy it. When you listened to him in the States he was one of the speakers you knew would be worth listening to. I do not know to what extent he prepared but he was always very pointed, very on the subject and very easy to listen to,’ Mr Tabb said. ‘He was an archetypal States Member, a true Jerseyman and had an ethos of service to the community built into him.’
Deputy Gregory Guida, who was Mr Norman’s assistant minister, said the long-serving politician had guided him through his early days in politics.
‘Because he had been in the States for so long he was a mentor for me, besides being a good friend. It is extremely sad. I think the one thing I remember most is him standing up to Charlie Parker when he [Mr Norman]wanted to raise the number of police officers. That was an interesting time,’ Deputy Guida said.
‘Len had already decided to raise the number of officers but had been speaking to the police and then decided to raise the number again. Charlie Parker had just done the budget for that year and was not too impressed. It was just really nice to see a minister talk to him [Mr Parker] and say “I am very sorry but that is how it is going to be”,’ he added.
Deputy Guida said that despite holding some strong opinions, Mr Norman was respectful and understanding of other people’s views – a quality that made him well-liked by most.
‘Len managed to spend all those years in the States with some strong opinions but managed to not ruffle any feathers and was not an enemy of anybody. That is what should be happening – stick to your beliefs but do not be aggressive and try to be friends with everybody,’ he said.
‘He was one of those really larger-than-life characters. There are not many people like him around.’
St Clement Deputy Lindsay Ash said he would remember regularly sharing a laugh with Mr Norman.
He added: ‘To some people he may have initially come across as slightly gruff but he was actually a really warm person and gave me a tremendous amount of help and told me what I should and should not do as a States Member.
‘We had football in common and he was a Portsmouth fan, so we would always discuss the fixtures. I remember talking to him about how they had missed the play-offs but he would say “it does not matter. I will still support them regardless of what division they are in”.
‘He was also a man of integrity, which is not always the case in politics, and he always did the right thing for the parish and his Island. His decisions were not always the most popular ones but they were the right ones.’
Flags were flying at half-mast on public buildings yesterday (2 June) to mark Mr Norman’s death.
- An obituary will be published in the JEP in due course.
