Mitch Greenlick

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.

Mitch Greenlick
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 33rd district
In office
January 13, 2003 – May 15, 2020
Preceded byBill Witt
Succeeded byMaxine Dexter[1]
Personal details
Born
Merwyn Ronald Greenlick

(1935-03-12)March 12, 1935
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMay 15, 2020(2020-05-15) (aged 85)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materWayne State University
University of Michigan

Early life and career
Greenlick in 2008

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.

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.

Political career

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.

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
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%

[7][9]

Personal life

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
  1. Borrud, Hillary (June 15, 2020). "Oregon Legislature's newest lawmaker sworn into office". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  2. Multnomah County Precinct Committee Person Report
  3. "Mitch Greenlick". Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education. June 28, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. "MERWYN R. (MITCH) GREENLICK, Ph.D" (PDF). Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  5. "Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research".
  6. "Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research - List of Emeritus Investigators".
  7. "Mitch Greenlick". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  8. Greenlick Bill Filed
  9. November 4, 2008 General Election Results - Oregon Secretary of State
  10. Crombie, Noelle (16 May 2020). "Rep. Mitch Greenlick, longtime Oregon lawmaker, dies at 85". Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  11. Powell, Meerah (May 16, 2020). "Oregon Rep. Mitch Greenlick Has Died". OPB.
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