As a friend of mine says: He's funny, but not Facebook funny.

He's the guy whose cracks work over a beer, but come off as mean, belittling, and arrogant when they show up on Facebook (or in print).

He'll be fun to watch as he learns that most of the folks in Portland don't think he's all that smart or funny.

Nudnik?

The "Professor" of Sustainability?

Teaching a class of best ways to live in a city that has gone bankrupt.

The Advantages of Living in Workforce Housing in a car free city.

I suggest Novick's new nick should be "Buchanan" after the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan.

They both became lawyers at the young age of 21, worked for the Federal Government in Oregon, and won their elective office with a "front porch campaign".

Since he thinks he's far smarter than the rest of us, how about:

Mr. kNovick All?

Steve Novick? Mean and arrogant? I've always enjoyed talking to him on Mt. Tabor. I think he's a gentle soul who has good intentions. Remember when Mitt Romney came to town and Steve was out there protesting the dog on the car roof? Anyone willing to put himself out there like that has got to be a true believer.

Much later in the campaign, I pointed out to Steve that the dog-on-the-roof thing wasn't the right take anymore - especially after someone noticed that President Obama's book had a reference to eating dog meat as a youngster.

Steve would be walking around the loop on top of Mt. Tabor one way and I'd be coming around the other so each pass I'd tell him another one of my Mitt Romney jokes. All mine went with the money take for the whole election. Two words...Cayman Islands.

Blovnick as in bloviate.

Bill McDonald recounts an importing point about Mr Novick, that he comes across as a True Believer...
One should always be wary of people who are True Believers of any stripe for little good ever comes from their actions.

Out of curiousity I checked Novick's campaign web site. He says, "Interestingly, among the nation’s big states, high-tax New York and California, for example, continue to have higher per capita incomes than low-tax Texas." Good luck. This guy is going to tax you into prosperity. And like all the very many smart and sanctimonious Democrats and Harvard lawyers he's apparently never heard of a balance sheet. That makes everything, oh so much easier.

The Twinster

Mr. Novick is the sole creation of and live action automaton avatar for the SamRand Twins. He will not sneeze without calling the SamRands and getting software updates.

Good luck Portlanders. You elected him - you'll (collectively) get exactly what you deserve.

"Congressman ASAP".

Sammyboy is still trying to rule the roost after his departure. He has been asking some of his cronies to sit on the newly formed NW Transportation Management Association (TMA) that will oversee the soon to be pay for on-street parking in NW Portland. The group will also oversee spending some of the revenue generated. At least one car hater crony has accepted. Look for the money to be spent NOT to benefit the drivers who now must pay excessive fees to park their cars on the streets they already pay for by the way of the gas tax; but for more bicycle infrastructure taking up more sparking spaces for freeloading bicyclists, and for more streetcar service where passengers don’t even come close to paying for the cost of their ride.

Correspondingly, Mr. Taxic (my toxic name for Novic) thinks parking meters should be everywhere.

"One should always be wary of people who are True Believers of any stripe for little good ever comes from their actions."

True, that.

Bill McDonald: Gentle soul with good intentions? He always struck me as a firebrand, and one of the "smartest guy in the room" types. Are there any gentle souls with good intentions in politics? Surely there cannot be many. Does your "good intentions" equate with tankfixer's "true believer?"

Newleaf: we'll probably end up with taxes as high as California and per-capita income rivaling Mississippi.

Maybe you could wait a little while to give ol Steve a nickname. The coveted (or not so coveted) nickname is sometimes earned after a little time, and mostly applicable to the individual's current post. It could even be a positive characterization, as Bill so politely suggests. I have a feeling the nickname for Mr. Novick will be revealed to all after a very short time in office, and not a whole lot of thought will have gone into it.

Sally,
Are you using the "smartest guys in the room" reference to describe Novick as an Enron-style con artist? That's where the phrase came from originally.

If you're just trying to say he's very intelligent, well, that's true.

But I do sense there is a genuine desire to work for the common good in him - and yes, that is a rare trait in politics. It's like Ralph Nader. You can hate everything he stands for, but there's a genuine desire to help humanity with the guy.

Steve might not have met a tax or fee he didn't like, but I'm just contrasting him with the all-too-common narcissistic sociopath type that swarms over politics and causes so much trouble.

Steve's work on the Love Canal case was stellar. He reminds me of Ralph Nader a little in that they are both activists. Activists are usually true believers in something bigger than themselves; compared to some of our outgoing politicians who were essentially walking egos in suits.

I've mostly found the "smartest guys in the room" to have the lowest "common sense". Sometimes they miss the social aspect of a situation. Or they can't fix a leaking toilet. Or they can't relate one smartness to another.

Generally I'll take a common sense person over a smarty, especially after comparing a few Harvard friends to people who have grown up on a farm or built a shed.

Whenever the first thing I hear about a politician is how "smart" he is, my defenses go up. Case in point: Jefferson Smith is very, very "smart." He just has the people skills of a wet dishrag.

My suspicion about Novick is that he's the same way. He certainly has not lived a "normal" life. And he does not seem to listen to people, at all. He has all the answers, all the time. It doesn't bode well.

My favorite line from the mayoral campaign was when Steve was thinking of running and said this about Eileen Brady's New Seasons:

""The salmon patties used to be crisp and tasty. But now they're soggy and bland. Is that the type of future we want for our city?"

He's smart/funny.

Is smart/funny going to follow the path of PWB and Leonard or . . .

Yes, he's smart/funny. He's clever. He may well be the smartest guy in the room (and Bill, I did not know that that phrase emanated from Enron; thanks).

But activists who are "true believers" in "something bigger than themselves," but don't listen, and have all the answers, as Jack says -- I guess I'm never that trusting. And that does seem to be the politics du jour. That would get all my hackles and hairs up every time.

When he's putting parking meters on every street, I don't think his smart-aleck shtick is going to save him.

Uh oh...maybe a tollbooth on top of Mt. Tabor?

Uh. Oh. I just got a notice that the city will be putting a 2 hour meter in my DRIVEWAY. Out here on 3rd world Flanders. Novick, where are you? I want to arm-wrestle your hook.