Mitch Greenlick
Mitch Greenlick | |
---|---|
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 33rd district | |
In office January 13, 2003 – May 15, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Bill Witt |
Succeeded by | Maxine Dexter[1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Merwyn Ronald Greenlick March 12, 1935 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | May 15, 2020 Portland, Oregon, U.S. | (aged 85)
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Wayne State University University of Michigan |
Merwyn Ronald "Mitch" Greenlick[2] (March 12, 1935 – May 15, 2020) was a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He represented District 33 of the Oregon House of Representatives.
Early life and career
[edit]Greenlick was born in 1935 in Detroit, Michigan, into a Jewish family. He attended McCarroll Elementary School and graduated from Central High School in 1952.[3]
Greenlick was a 1957 graduate of Wayne State University, receiving his bachelor's degree in pharmacy.[4] He received his Master's degree in pharmacy administration from Wayne State in 1961 and received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in health system organization in 1967. He moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, in 1964 to start and later direct the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.[5][6] He also was named Vice President of Kaiser Foundation Hospital in 1981. Starting in 1990, Greenlick served as Professor and Chair of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University.[citation needed]
Greenlick had been active in his community as a board member of the Community Action Organization in Washington County and as a member of the Northwest Health Foundation Board.[citation needed]
Political career
[edit]Greenlick first got involved in politics at the age of nine by volunteering for Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1944 presidential campaign. After moving to Oregon, he worked for Neil Goldschmidt's 1970 campaign for city council. Greenlick also worked on the campaigns of Senator Ron Wyden and Governor John Kitzhaber.[3]
In 2000, Greenlick ran against incumbent Republican Bill Witt in what was then House District 7. Witt was a conservative who had defeated the more liberal Republican Chuck Carpenter in the primary two years previously. Despite raising nearly $300,000, Greenlick narrowly lost the election. He ran again in 2002 after redistricting and defeated Erik T. Hartung by nearly 20 points (Witt had retired to run for the Oregon Senate).[3]
Greenlick represented Northwest Portland and northern Washington County, which includes Helvetia, Bethany and Cedar Mill. After 2002, Greenlick never won an election with less than 64% of the vote. He faced a primary challenger only once, in 2006, whom he beat 92% to 8%.[7]
Greenlick chaired the Health Care Committee from the 74th Legislative Assembly, which convened in 2007, until his death. During that assembly, he served on the Education Committee and Higher Education Subcommittee. In past legislative sessions, he served on the Transportation, Land Use, Environment and Rules committees.[citation needed]
Representative Greenlick proposed to make nicotine a Schedule III controlled substance (along with LSD). He was in favor of banning all tobacco products, requiring people in Oregon to obtain a doctor's prescription to get tobacco products (including cigars), and to impose a fine of $6,250, up to a year in prison, or both on offenders.[8]
Electoral history
[edit]Year | Candidate | Party | Percent | Opponent | Party | Percent | Opponent | Party | Percent | Opponent | Party | Percent |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Bill Witt | Republican | 50.80% | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 49.20% | ||||||
2002 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 58.22% | Erik Hartung | Republican | 37.32% | Anthony Ambrose | Libertarian | 4.28% | Write-ins | 0.18% | |
2004 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 81.73% | David Long | Libertarian | 12.07% | Thomas Humphrey, Jr. | Constitution | 6.20% | |||
2006 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 69.59% | Mark Eggleston | Republican | 26.33% | David Long | Libertarian | 3.86% | Write-ins | 0.22% | |
2008 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 69.59% | Jim Ellison | Republican | 27.39% | Write-ins | 0.34% | ||||
2010 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 64.82% | Michael Bieker | Republican | 35.05% | Write-ins | 0.14% | ||||
2012 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 69.03% | Stevan Kirkpatrick | Republican | 30.72% | Write-ins | 0.25% | ||||
2014 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 81.68% | Mark Vetanen | Libertarian | 17.63% | Write-ins | 0.69% | ||||
2016 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 69.45% | John Verbeek | Republican | 30.33% | Write-ins | 0.22% | ||||
2018 | Mitch Greenlick | Democratic | 75.86% | Elizabeth Reye | Republican | 23.97% | Write-ins | 0.17% |
Personal life
[edit]Greenlick was married to Harriet Greenlick from 1956 until his death, and together they had three children, including state judge Michael.[10]
Greenlick was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2005 and recovered.[3] He died on May 15, 2020, after battling numerous illnesses, at the age of 85.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Borrud, Hillary (June 15, 2020). "Oregon Legislature's newest lawmaker sworn into office". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Multnomah County Precinct Committee Person Report
- ^ a b c d "Mitch Greenlick". Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education. June 28, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "MERWYN R. (MITCH) GREENLICK, Ph.D" (PDF). Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research".
- ^ "Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research - List of Emeritus Investigators".
- ^ a b "Mitch Greenlick". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Greenlick Bill Filed
- ^ November 4, 2008 General Election Results - Oregon Secretary of State
- ^ Crombie, Noelle (16 May 2020). "Rep. Mitch Greenlick, longtime Oregon lawmaker, dies at 85". Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Powell, Meerah (May 16, 2020). "Oregon Rep. Mitch Greenlick Has Died". OPB.
External links
[edit]- 1935 births
- 2020 deaths
- Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
- 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Wayne State University alumni
- University of Michigan alumni
- Oregon Health & Science University faculty
- Politicians from Detroit
- Politicians from Portland, Oregon
- Jewish American people in Oregon politics
- 21st-century American Jews