Steve Novick

Steve Novick
Steve Novick in 2007
Portland City Commissioner
In office January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2017
Preceded by	Randy Leonard
Succeeded by	Chloe Eudaly
Personal details
Born	(1963-02-08) February 8, 1963 (age 54) Newark, N.J.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Oregon Harvard Law School
Occupation	Politician

Steven "Steve" Novick (born February 8, 1963) 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 Republican Gordon 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 reelection to the city council in 2016 but lost to Chloe Eudaly.

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. 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.