Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick (born 1933) is an American politician from Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and a member of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.

Background

Minnick was born in Dundalk, Maryland

Dundalk, Maryland

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...

 on March 16, 1933. He served in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. Upon arriving home, he joined his brother Dan Minnick Jr. to take over the management of Minnick's Hollywood Inn, a family business founded by his grandfather in the early 1920s, now known as Minnick's Restaurant and Catering Business, Inc. Minnick's bar was raided on June 29, 2011 which seized five video devices believed to be involved in illegal gambling http://parkville.patch.com/articles/illegal-gambling-charges-filed-in-raid-on-minnicks-bar. Minnick has not been charged.

Minnick has been active with both the Restaurant Association and with veteran's groups. Minnick is a strong supporter of Small businesses in the State of Maryland.

In the Legislature

He is currently serving in his 5th term in the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

, representing Maryland's District 6 in Baltimore County

Baltimore County, Maryland

Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...

. Minnick is a member of the Economic Matters Committee. During long debates on the House floor, the Speaker

Michael E. Busch

Michael E. Busch is the current Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. Busch has been a member of the House since 1987, and Speaker since January 2003...

 will often recognize Delegate Minnick who moves the previous question, allowing the Speaker to terminate lengthy debates.

Legislative notes

• voted against the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 (HB359)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/HB0359.htm

• voted against in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 -Higher Education -Tuition Charges -Maryland High School Students, 2007 (HB6)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm

• voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750)http://mlis.state.md.us/1998rs/votes/house/1229.htm

• voted for the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 (HB713), subjecting gang members to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000 http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/hb0713.htm

• voted for Jessica’s Law (HB 930), eliminating parole for the most violent child sexual predators and creating a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison, 2007 http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/billfile/hb0930.htm

• voted for Public Safety – Statewide DNA Database System – Crimes of Violence and Burglary – Post conviction (HB 370), helping to give police officers and prosecutors greater resources to solve crimes and eliminating a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed DNA samples, leading to 192 arrests, 2008 http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/hb0370.htm

• voted for Vehicle Laws – Repeated Drunk and Drugged Driving Offenses – Suspension of License (HB 293), strengthening Maryland’s drunk driving laws by imposing a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years, 2009 http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/hb0293.htm

• voted for HB 102, creating the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup, leading to Maryland’s budgeting of $52 million to fund three new Medevac helicopters to replace the State’s aging fleet, 2009 http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/hb0102.htm

For the past four years, Delegate Minnick has annually voted to support classroom teachers, public schools, police and hospitals in Baltimore County. Since 2002, funding to schools across the State has increased 82%, resulting in Maryland being ranked top in the nation for K-12 education.

Election results

• 2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 6

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
John S. Arnick John S. Arnick John S. Arnick was an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in three separate spans of time as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 6 and District 7 in Baltimore County. He died in 2006 due to lung...  Dem.	17,541	20.87%	Won
Joseph J. Minnick, Dem.	17,530	20.85%	Won
Michael H. Weir, Jr. Michael H. Weir, Jr. Michael H. Weir, Jr. is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party.-Background:Weir was born in Essex, Maryland on September 2, 1948. He attended the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore. He has been a firefighter with the Baltimore County Fire... , Dem.	17,958	21.36%	Won
Jane Brooks, Rep.	12,517	14.89%	Lost
Bruce Laing, Rep.	9,448	11.24%	Lost
Paul Michael Blitz, Rep.	8,969	10.67%	Lost
Other Write-Ins	106	0.13%	Lost

• 1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Jacob J. Mohorovic Jr., Dem.	16,338	23%	Won
Joseph J. Minnick, Dem.	15,095	21%	Won
John S. Arnick John S. Arnick John S. Arnick was an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in three separate spans of time as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 6 and District 7 in Baltimore County. He died in 2006 due to lung... , Dem.	14,385	20%	Won
Jane Brooks, Rep.	9,792	14%	Lost
Russell Mirabile, Rep.	8,947	13%	Lost
Gary Adams, Rep.	6,178	9%	Lost

• 1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 7

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Jacob J. Mohorovic Jr., Dem.	16,059	25%	Won
Joseph J. Minnick, Dem.	15,880	25%	Won
John S. Arnick John S. Arnick John S. Arnick was an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in three separate spans of time as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 6 and District 7 in Baltimore County. He died in 2006 due to lung... , Dem.	14,469	23%	Won
Jacqueline W. Madison, Rep.	9,149	14%	Lost
Robert J. Parsons, Rep.	7,628	12%	Lost