Steven "Steve" Novick is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon and a former environmental lawyer and political activist. Most recently he served a four-year term as a Portland City Commissioner – a member of the City Council of Portland – from January 2013 to January 2017. He was elected in May 2012 and assumed office on January 1, 2013. In 2008, he ran for the Democratic Party's nomination for the United States Senate, for the seat then held by RepublicanGordon Smith, but narrowly lost to Oregon House speaker Jeff Merkley. On the Portland city council, he was in charge of the city's transportation department, among other responsibilities. Novick ran for re-election to the city council in 2016 but lost to Chloe Eudaly.
Early life
Novick was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1963. His parents, a waitress and a union organizer, moved the family to Cottage Grove, Oregon, in 1973. Novick was born with significant physical disabilities, including a missing left hand and missing fibula bones in his legs. As a result, he uses a hook prosthesis and stands approximately tall. His disabilities have prompted him to use the slogan "The Fighter with the Hard Left Hook." His levity about his physical stature has drawn both positive and negative reviews from the press. In 1977, after low funding caused Novick's junior high school to close, he enrolled at the University of Oregon. After graduating at age 18, he attended Harvard Law School, earning a law degree at age 21.
Career
Novick is an attorney and former U.S. Department of Justice litigator. He spent nearly ten years arguing on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, culminating in the Love Canal case in upstate New York, on which he served as lead counsel. Beginning in 1999, Novick focused on the Oregon Lottery's payments to retailers, which he contended were illegally high. He and other education advocates brought a lawsuit challenging the lottery's payment, the lawsuit was successful at the Oregon Court of Appeals. The Oregon Supreme Court overturned the decision, declaring the Lottery's payments legal.
Senate candidacy
On April 18, 2007, Novick formally announced his candidacy for Senate. In his announcement, he stated that he didn't "want to wake up 10 years from now" and realize he had missed his chance. He drew on his own unique persona from the start. "Oregon's working families need someone to fight for them- and a fighter needs a hard left hook." On July 1, 2007, Novick announced that he had raised $190,000 in contributions during the first ten weeks of his campaign and was adding two paid campaign staff members. By the end of 2007, Federal Election Commission records showed that Novick had raised a total of $563,000 from 2100 donors, with an average donation of $258. At the time of filing, he had $293,000 on hand. On January 11, 2008, Novick released his first TV ad, a 30-second biographical spot that parodied the famous game showTo Tell the Truth. The ad was produced and created by the firm of Eichenbaum & Associates, which also created the ads used in Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold's three successful statewide campaigns. Novick ended up with 41 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, finishing a close second to Jeff Merkley. He endorsed Merkley and campaigned for him in the general election.
Political positions
Novick spoke against the Iraq War in 2003, calling it "an oil grab and public-relations gimmick, sold on false pretenses, which is now producing $4 billion a month's worth of chaos." He accused Gordon Smith of changing his stance on illegal immigration to appease conservative voters. Novick stated, "It shows that he’s willing to do what it takes to get reelected. And if doing what it takes means punishing innocent children and turning against his previous so-called moderation on immigration, that’s what he will do." Novick has advocated for the removal of the cap on Social Security taxes for income above $100,000. He has stated that borrowing against the Federal retirement program has threatened the program's longevity and solvency.
In June 2011, Novick announced his intention to run for Portland City Council in 2012, for the seat then held by Randy Leonard, who had indicated he would not run for re-election. In the primary election, held on May 15, 2012, Novick received more than 75% of the vote, winning him the seat outright, for a term of office to begin the following January. In Portland municipal elections, any candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote in a primary election wins the race outright and the contest does not proceed to the November general election. Novick was sworn in as a Portland City Commissioner on January 1, 2013. In June 2013, after a four-month period in which new Mayor Charlie Hales temporarily moved all city bureaus under his own oversight, Hales assigned bureaus to the other four commissioners. Novick was given responsibility for the Portland Transportation Bureau and the bureaus of Emergency Management and Emergency Communications. Novick ran for re-election in 2016 but lost to Chloe Eudaly, who consequently was scheduled to succeed him on the council in January 2017.
