Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 6, 1993 TAG: 9307060118
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
When the Senate ended its floor sessions, the gang in the Capitol press corps rushed to his desk looking for "good quotes."
He almost never failed them.
The Fincastle Democrat railed against "the big boys" who controlled the legislature with their campaign contributions, while at the same time declaring, "I don't intend to be trapped by no idealistic mumbo jumbo."
He called aides to then-Gov. Charles Robb "them underlings, them ding-a-lings."
Back when the proposed Explore history park was the darling of the Roanoke Valley's civic leaders, Emick bucked the trend by saying, "I don't believe state government should be in the Disneyland business."
These days you won't find Emick's name in the newspaper, at least not in the vicinity of quotation marks. Since he abruptly retired from the Senate two years ago, he's observed a nearly-complete vow of silence when it comes to being quoted by the news media.
Not only will he not allow himself to be quoted on political issues, he also won't talk on the record about controversial - or even run-of-the-mill - cases he handles in his law practice.
Emick was not willing to be interviewed on the record for this story.
But a source familiar with his thinking said Emick believes "the people that ought be quoted ought to be the ones who are in the trenches."
In other words, he wouldn't feel right sitting on the sidelines and tossing off political opinions now that he's no longer accountable to the voters or fellow legislators.
Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, a Roanoke Democrat, says he misses Emick's contributions to the state's political debate. He'd rather hear from people like Emick who have "suffered the slings and arrows" of elective office than hear from the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato or other college professors whose political views are constantly quoted in the state's news media.
But, Woodrum says, "I salute him in his efforts not to become a garrulous Professor Dial-A-Quote. One Larry Sabato in Virginia is probably one too many."
Woodrum says one reason Emick won't comment on court cases he's handling is that he "was brought up in an era when it was regarded as improper" to try cases in the media.
Another reason Emick is reticent in his law practice may be that he doesn't want to be seen as milking his status as a former state lawmaker to build up his law practice. Emick declined public comment last month, for example, on a case he is pushing against the Virginia High School League's age-limitation rule for school activities.
By downplaying his former position of power, Emick doesn't have to be hassled as much by clients who think he has some special "in" with the justice system. This includes the jail inmates Emick is occasionally appointed to represent while they're facing potential prison time.
"They all believe the fix is in if you get the right person," the source close to Emick said. "It's hard to tell those guys: `I'm sorry but you're going to go away for a season or two.' "
It's not that Emick has retired from civilization. He still chats informally on occasion with the state's political reporters. And he reviews books on baseball - he's a Cincinnati Reds fan - for the Roanoke Times & World-News.
He also fills in as a substitute General District judge. His name has been bandied about as a possible choice to fill a vacancy in Botetourt County's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
In January 1992 he lobbied - briefly and unsuccessfully - for a seat on the State Corporation Commission. This newspaper quoted him as saying the job "would be intellectually satisfying and something where I can make a real contribution."
It was hardly a memorable performance for a man known for his volatile speechifying - and cutting humor.
Once, Sen. Ed Willey of Richmond told the state Senate's presiding officer, "Mr. President, I have not made a deal in the 29 years that I have been in the Senate."
Emick interupted: "Mr. President, I move the pending deal."
Sen. Joseph Gartlan Jr., a Democrat from Northern Virginia who clashed with Emick on many issues, says the Senate has missed Emick.
"He was very incisive, piercing to the heart of the matter. I don't think there's anybody around who's doing that half as well anymore - except maybe me.
"And there's nobody but Emick who would see the humor in what I just said."
Some, such as former state Sen. Ray Garland of Roanoke, don't think Emick was always that funny. Garland says Emick took on an increasingly angry tone during the 1980s, after he lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and the party became more conservative.
Garland, a Republican who now writes a political column that's published by many of the state's newspapers, wonders whether Emick's decision to pull himself completely out of media circulation is a sign of lingering bitterness.
But Gartlan, the Northern Virginia Democrat, says that didn't seem to be the case when he ran into Emick some time after he left the Senate. They chatted about how much Emick was enjoying teaching a class at the University of Virginia, and "I was pleased to note how serene and all together he was."
Gartlan says getting quoted all the time in the newspaper sometimes gives newsmakers an inflated opinion of their place in the world - and their ability to influence it. Emick's decision to step away from the limelight "is probably an indication of a healthy psyche on Buzz's part."
As far back as the mid-1980s, Emick looked ahead to the day he'd make a clean break from politics. At the height of his legislative influence and quotability, Emick told The Washington Post, "When this phase of my life is complete, I'm going to walk away from it and never look back."
by CNB