R. I. P. Steve Amick
Former Newark legislator Steve Amick, who passed away last week, was one of the finest legislators to serve in the Delaware General Assembly during my time there.
Yes, he was smart, one of the most intelligent legislators to ever serve in Dover. An attorney by training and practice, he got his JD from Dickinson College. But, he never lorded his intelligence over others. Nor did he play legalistic word games with people. Quite the opposite. He was consistently searching for answers as to how to make the wisest policy decisions. I had the pleasure of working with him (all too briefly) when he became the House chair of the Joint Sunset Committee. He used to tell me, “There are no stupid questions.” What he meant was that inquisitiveness was essential in coming up with the best policy. He was also a calming influence, a stark contrast to his predecessor, the peripatetic Roger Roy.
Steve was non-partisan in the best sense of the word. He came out of that Newark ‘good government’ ethos which also brought us, among others, Rep. Ada Leigh Soles and Sen. Jim Neal. He was dedicated to his community. Just check out some of the examples of his community involvement, these from his obituary:
Steve received many honors and awards in his lifetime: Good Government Award – Common Cause Delaware, Distinguished Legislative Service Award – Delaware State Bar Association, Amicus Curiae Award – Delaware Superior Court, State Public Service Award – AARP, Alumni Citation for Excellence in Public Service – Washington College and Russell Peterson Public Service Award – Common Cause Delaware. He also held many community service positions: President of the Newark Historical Society, Civic League of New Castle County, West Chestnut Hill Residents Association, Committee of 39, and Chestnut Hill Iron Pits Preservation (CHIPPS), Vice-President of Common Cause Delaware, and Board Member of the Bear/Glasgow YMCA and Pencader Heritage Area Association. Steve was also a valuable member of the Newark Morning Rotary Club for twenty years.
Steve was first elected to the House in 1986, defeating Marian Anderson, who I most remember for her chain-smoking. He was elected to the Senate in 1994, succeeding the retiring Jim Neal by defeating Paul Lesniak. Lesniak was a solid candidate, but Amick was better-known and more established. He retired in 2008 rather than run against Bethany Hall-Long in a radically-reconfigured district that took in only a small portion of Amick’s previous turf.
A friend of mine and I were reminiscing about Steve only just a couple of weeks ago when we got together for one of our regular chats at Brew Ha Ha. Just about a week later, Steve passed away. Steve left his community in a better state than it was when he arrived on the scene. He deserves to be remembered. I hope that those of you who knew him would share your thoughts here. He was a public citizen of the highest calibre, and many people who will never know him owe him a debt of gratitude.
