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Sam Pick

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Samuel W. Pick
Mayor of Santa Fe
In office
1986–1994
Preceded byLouis R. Montano
Succeeded byDebbie Jaramillo
In office
1976–1978
Preceded byJoseph Valdes
Succeeded byArthur Trujillo
Personal details
Born1936 (age 87–88)
EducationUniversity of New Mexico (BA)

Samuel W. Pick (born 1936) is an American businessman and politician. He served as the mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1986 to 1994.[1]

Early life and education

A Santa Fe native, Pick was born into a Jewish family,[2] the son of Austrian immigrant Emil Pick and German immigrant Elizabeth Schultz. His mother had been first married to Emil's brother, Henry Pick, Sr., who was killed in a never-solved 1934 robbery-murder while transporting money to his general store in Tererro, New Mexico. After the murder, Elizabeth married Henry's brother, Emil. In 1936, the year of Sam's birth, the family bought the White Swan laundry in Santa Fe. Pick attended the New Mexico Military Institute and the University of New Mexico, from which he received a bachelor's degree in 1958. He served in the United States Army, and worked in the family business until he sold his interest to his older half-brother, Henry, in 1984.[3][4][5]

Career

Pick was a member of the Santa Fe City Council from 1970 until 1976, when he was appointed mayor, succeeding Joe Valdes, and served for two years.[5] He was elected mayor in 1986 and re-elected for a second term in 1990. He became known as a highly visible advocate for tourism and development in the city,[6] and for his extensive travel appearances promoting the city, including a "Santa Fe" brand cologne sold by the Shulton perfume company.[7] In 1987, the United States Conference of Mayors selected Santa Fe as the nation's most-livable city with a population under 100,000, and cited Pick for his support of a percent for art ordinance to provide funding for public art as part of new construction projects.[8]

Pick's successor, Debbie Jaramillo, was elected in 1994 on a platform opposing Pick's pro-business policies, and promising to emphasize the interests of local residents and neighborhoods.[9] In 1998, Pick ran for mayor again in opposition to Jaramillo's bid for re-election. He finished second, well ahead of Jaramillo, but behind the winner, Larry Delgado, who was seen as a centrist between Pick and Jaramillo.[10]

Pick has remained a visible presence in Santa Fe's political and business community.[11][12][13] He strongly opposed a 2013 proposal to make Santa Fe's mayor a full-time "strong mayor" position.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Former Mayors of Santa Fe", City of Santa Fe (accessed 2015-07-02).
  2. ^ "From the Inquisition to Now", Santa Fe Reporter, September 10, 1986, p. 8 - via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  3. ^ Ana Pacheco, "A wonderful life: Community service close to Henry Pick's heart", The Santa Fe New Mexican, January 8, 2011.
  4. ^ Robert Nott, "Former mayor, brother to be honored as Living Treasures", The Santa Fe New Mexican, June 21, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Public passions: What the mayoral candidates care about most", Santa Fe Reporter, January 17, 1990, p. 11 - via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ Daniel B. Wood, "Santa Fe: Struggling With Success", The Christian Science Monitor, December 9, 1992.
  7. ^ Rose-Marie Turk, "Santa Fe Mayor Getting a Whiff of the Big Sell", Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1988.
  8. ^ "San Antonio and Santa Fe Get Awards As Most Livable Cities", Associated Press in The New York Times, June 16, 1987; "San Antonio, Santa Fe Named Most Livable; Cities' Officials Agree With PM-Mayors, BJT", Associated Press News Archive, June 16, 1987.
  9. ^ Chris Wilson, The Myth of Santa Fe (University of New Mexico Press, 1997), ISBN 978-0-8263-1746-9, p. 165 (excerpt available at Google Books).
  10. ^ Andrew Leo Lovato, Santa Fe Hispanic Culture: Preserving Identity in a Tourist Town (University of New Mexico Press, 2006), ISBN 978-0-8263-3226-4, pp. 109ff (excerpt available at Google Books).
  11. ^ Maria Luisa, "What a Joker", Santa Fe Reporter, August 6, 2002  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
  12. ^ Rob Nikolewski, "'I don’t think I could get elected mayor today' and other opinions from Sam Pick — without the 'r'", New Mexico Watchdog, February 13, 2014.
  13. ^ Tripp Stelnicki, "Feel-good resolutions: Acts of impact or distraction?", The Santa Fe New Mexican, October 15, 2017.
  14. ^ Joey Peters, "'Don't Tell Me How To Brush My Teeth!' Former mayor Sam Pick hyperbolically takes down 'strong mayor' proposal." Santa Fe Reporter, December 5, 2013.
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