| Steve Novick | |
|---|---|
| Steve Novick at City of Beaverton rally | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 8, 1963 Newark, N.J. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Oregon |
| Occupation | Political activist |
Steven Novick (born February 8, 1963) is a political activist in Oregon and a former environmental lawyer. He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination for the United States Senate in 2008 for the Senate seat then held by Republican Gordon Smith, but narrowly lost to Oregon House speaker Jeff Merkley,[1] who went on to defeat Smith in the general election. In June 2011, Novick announced that he will run for Portland City Council in 2012.[2]
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Novick was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1963. His parents, a waitress and a union organizer, moved his 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 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) tall.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5]
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 (EPA), culminating in the Love Canal case in upstate New York, on which he served as lead counsel.[5] Returning to Oregon, Novick worked as policy director for Tom Bruggere's 1996 Senate bid. He then served as chief of staff to the Democrats in the Oregon State Senate from 1997 to 1999.
Subsequently, he was Executive Director of the Center for Constructive Citizen Action, which spearheaded the fight against Bill Sizemore's Measure 91, which would have cut the State budget for schools, health care and public safety by more than 20%.
In 2002, Novick was policy director for Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in his first, successful campaign for the governorship. From 2004 to 2006, he worked for Citizens for Oregon's Future, an organization dedicated to providing taxpayers useful, reliable information on tax and budget issues. In 2005, Novick developed a "balance the state budget" classroom exercise for high school students, which was used by social studies teachers in Creswell, Springfield, Salem and Portland.
Beginning in 1999, Novick turned his attention to 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.[6] However, the Oregon Supreme Court overturned the decision, declaring the Lottery's payments legal.[7]
The 2008 Oregon Senate race was unusual in a number of respects. Although Democrats held all statewide offices in Oregon and had made gains in the Oregon state house (and nationwide) in the 2006 midterm elections, Republican incumbent Gordon Smith remained relatively popular. Unlike in elections past, there was no clear Democratic challenger; former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber indicated early on that he was not interested in challenging Smith, and prominent Democratic congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio also declined.
In January 2007, while the campaign was still in its infancy, Novick wrote a lengthy critique of Gordon Smith's record in the Portland Willamette Week.[8] The article outlined a strategy to beat Smith, who Novick argued was actually more vulnerable than appeared.
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.[9] 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."[9] 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.[10]
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.[11]
On January 11, 2008, Novick released his first TV ad, a 30-second biographical spot that parodied the famous game show To 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.[3]
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.[1]
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."[12]
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."[13]
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.[14]