Former City Commissioner Steve Novick Lands a Job at the Oregon Department of Justice

The former environmental lawyer will return to his roots in a two-year, grant-funded position.

Steve Novick
By Nigel Jaquiss

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum today announced she's hiring former Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick as special assistant attorney general. He will work on cases related to climate change, clean energy and the environment in a position funded for two years by the NYU State Impact Center.

Novick, a graduate of Harvard Law School, worked as a lawyer for the federal government for a decade in Washington, D.C. before returning to Oregon to work in a variety of political roles. He won a seat on the Portland city council in  2012 but lost that position to now-Commissioner Chloe Eudaly in 2016.

"Steve comes with an incredible background in environmental work. For nearly 10 years, he worked as a Trial and Senior Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, representing the EPA in some of the most complex environmental litigation cases," said Rosenblum in a statement. (Disclosure: Rosenblum is married to Richard Meeker, the co-owner of WW's parent company.)

"The progress Oregon has made over the last several decades to protect and preserve our environment seems to be under attack every day. By adding one additional attorney to our team we are able to grow our environmental work, and focus more on many of the environmental issues that are so important to Oregonians."

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.