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State Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland), a fearless and and irascible lawmaker who championed public health while chiding the dishonest and the stupid, has died. He was 85.
Greenlick was elected to the Oregon House in 2002, representing Northwest Portland. A retired medical researcher with Oregon Health & Science University and Kaiser Permanente, he was regarded by colleagues and lobbyists as the Legislature's top mind on public health.
He had decided not to run for reelection after years of health problems—including two hip replacements and a battle with a rare form of cancer. He announced his impending retirement from the House in 2018, but stuck around for a final term to champion reforms of the death penalty and an end to philosophical exemptions from childhood vaccinations, the latter of which was left unfinished.
Greenlick was famed in the Legislature for his utter lack of bedside manner—he suffered fools tartly, if at all. His scolding of pharmaceutical lobbyists during vaccination debates grew so harsh that in 2019, House Speaker Tina Kotek removed him from his longtime chairmanship of the House Health Care Committee. (The decision appeared partly a gesture toward bipartisanship, a concept Greenlick himself had often embraced.)
Kotek announced Greenlick's death, citing his long-term health problems.
"He died while serving in office, doing what he loved. Oregonians lost a champion for fairness, justice and health care as a human right," she says. "His work and legacy will benefit Oregonians for years to come."
"Rep. Greenlick was one of my closest colleagues in the Legislature. I will miss his moral compass, his intellect, and his sense of humor," Kotek added. "I will miss my friend."
No state legislator was more popular with the Gray Panthers than Mitch Greenlick. For decades he has been the go-to person on health care as a basic human right. Literally an irreplaceable voice. He will be hugely missed. https://t.co/c2f2fS6wmB
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) May 16, 2020
An outpouring of grief and respect followed the news of Greenlick's passing. Gov. Kate Brown issued a statement this afternoon.
"Representative Mitch Greenlick dedicated his career to fighting for Oregonians to have a better life," Brown wrote. "A fierce advocate for expanding health care, he championed initiatives that helped push our state forward, including extending the Oregon Health Plan for low-income and underserved communities. His tireless efforts around justice reform were critical to the passage of key legislation through the years to bring equal treatment under the law to all Oregonians. He was a professor, an educator, and a citizen legislator. Smart as a whip and with a heart of gold, he was a true Lion of the House. We will all greatly miss him. Dan and my hearts are with Harriet and his family as they mourn his passing."