Joshua J. Cohen
Encyclopedia
Joshua Jackson Cohen is an American
Democratic
politician
who was elected on Nov. 3, 2009, as mayor of Annapolis. Cohen, a Democrat, gained 46.5 percent of the vote to defeat Republican nominee David Cordle (40.5 percent) and independent candidate Chris Fox (13 percent). Cohen, who served previously on the Anne Arundel County Council (District 6) and the Annapolis City Council (Ward 8), succeeded Ellen O. Moyer
as Annapolis' chief executive on Dec. 7, 2009.
. During college he interned at the Maryland General Assembly for Senator William H. Amoss
, and on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski
. In 1995 he graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in economics.
After graduating from college, Cohen returned to the Annapolis neighborhood of Eastport and took an active role in the community. In 1997, he ran unopposed for the Ward 8 seat on the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee, and served from 1997 to 1999 as its chair. In 2001, he was elected to represent Eastport (Ward 8) as an alderman on the city council. He won re-election in 2005 by the largest margin of any candidate that year in Annapolis.
Then in 2006, Cohen won election to represent the Annapolis Neck Peninsula (District 6) on the Anne Arundel County Council, claiming the seat left vacant by two-term Democrat Barbara D. Samorajczyk.
Before his election as mayor, Cohen worked in the criminal justice field for eight years. He served as a trainer for the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, as a Maryland Parole and Probation Agent, and as the Director of Special Grants for the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center, Inc.
on drums and singer Lhasa de Sela
. After leaving St. John's he played sax in a funk-rock band named Case of Schaefer (after the beer) which included vocalist Jon Vance and drummer Zak Fusciello. Vance and Fusciello both played with the punk band Moss Icon
, a group that critics now consider to be one of emo
core's early seminal influences.
The Idea Team was expected to release a full report to Cohen in January 2010, and its recommendations were expected to guide decisions for the new administration and city council.
A few days before he was to take office, Cohen announced a six-member group that would serve as his core administration team. He named Doug Smith, the former president of the Ward One Residents Association who endorsed Cordle in the general election over Cohen, as his chief administrative officer (CAO).
In Cohen's Inaugural Address on Dec. 7, 2009 he set forth a goal of making Annapolis "the best run city in Maryland" and identified three guiding principles for his administration: effective, efficient and transparent governance.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic
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...
politician
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
who was elected on Nov. 3, 2009, as mayor of Annapolis. Cohen, a Democrat, gained 46.5 percent of the vote to defeat Republican nominee David Cordle (40.5 percent) and independent candidate Chris Fox (13 percent). Cohen, who served previously on the Anne Arundel County Council (District 6) and the Annapolis City Council (Ward 8), succeeded Ellen O. Moyer
Ellen O. Moyer
Ellen Oosterling Moyer Ellen Oosterling Moyer Ellen Oosterling Moyer (born , a Democrat, is the first woman Mayor of Annapolis, Maryland, having been elected in 2001. As mayor, she established the Annapolis Conservancy Board and the city's Greenscape program....
as Annapolis' chief executive on Dec. 7, 2009.
Early life and career
A lifelong Annapolitan, Cohen grew up in the Murray Hill neighborhood and graduated from the Key School. He briefly attended college at the New Mexico campus of St. John's College, and later attended the University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. During college he interned at the Maryland General Assembly for Senator William H. Amoss
William H. Amoss
William H. Amoss was an American politician. He was a member of the Maryland Senate from 1983 until his death 14 years later.-Background:...
, and on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski
Barbara Mikulski
Barbara Ann Mikulski is the senior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Mikulski, a former U.S. Representative, is the longest-serving female senator in U.S...
. In 1995 he graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in economics.
After graduating from college, Cohen returned to the Annapolis neighborhood of Eastport and took an active role in the community. In 1997, he ran unopposed for the Ward 8 seat on the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee, and served from 1997 to 1999 as its chair. In 2001, he was elected to represent Eastport (Ward 8) as an alderman on the city council. He won re-election in 2005 by the largest margin of any candidate that year in Annapolis.
Then in 2006, Cohen won election to represent the Annapolis Neck Peninsula (District 6) on the Anne Arundel County Council, claiming the seat left vacant by two-term Democrat Barbara D. Samorajczyk.
Before his election as mayor, Cohen worked in the criminal justice field for eight years. He served as a trainer for the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, as a Maryland Parole and Probation Agent, and as the Director of Special Grants for the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center, Inc.
Musical associates
During his college years, Cohen played music alongside a few musicians who would later achieve various degrees of renown. While at St. John's he formed and played saxophone for a swing band named the Swinging Recluses whose band members included future author William KowalskiWilliam Kowalski
William John Kowalski III is an American novelist and screenwriter.-Youth:Kowalski is the eldest child of Dr. William John Kowalski, Jr. of Buffalo, N.Y. and Kathleen Emily Siepel of Angola, N.Y. . In 1974, the family moved to Erie, Pennsylvania...
on drums and singer Lhasa de Sela
Lhasa de Sela
Lhasa de Sela , also known by the mononym Lhasa, was an American-born singer-songwriter who was raised in Mexico and the United States, and divided her adult life between Canada and France...
. After leaving St. John's he played sax in a funk-rock band named Case of Schaefer (after the beer) which included vocalist Jon Vance and drummer Zak Fusciello. Vance and Fusciello both played with the punk band Moss Icon
Moss Icon
Moss Icon was an Annapolis, Maryland post-hardcore band from 1986 to 1991. Its original members were singer Jonathan Vance, guitarist Tonie Joy, bassist Monica DiGialleonardo, and drummer Mark Laurence. Alex Badertscher joined as second guitarist in 1990...
, a group that critics now consider to be one of emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
core's early seminal influences.
Election of 2009
In the Democratic Mayoral Primary on September 15, 2009, Cohen received 1,334 votes to come in second out of six candidates. The winner, Zina Pierre, received 1,461 votes. After questions arose about Pierre's personal finances, she declined the nomination. The Annapolis Democratic Central Committee then convened and appointed Cohen as the Democratic nominee, and he went on to win the General Election with 46.5 percent of the vote in a three-way race.Mayor-elect status
After the election, Cohen created a wide-ranging transition team that he referred to as the "Idea Team," a group of more than 80 people representing a cross-section of interests, expertise and views on key issues weighing the city. Those issues included transportation, the budget and Market House. Cohen's eight subcommittees consisted of both supporters and critics. Candidates who ran against him, such as Cordle and Democrat Zina Pierre, were named to leadership positions on the team.The Idea Team was expected to release a full report to Cohen in January 2010, and its recommendations were expected to guide decisions for the new administration and city council.
A few days before he was to take office, Cohen announced a six-member group that would serve as his core administration team. He named Doug Smith, the former president of the Ward One Residents Association who endorsed Cordle in the general election over Cohen, as his chief administrative officer (CAO).
In Cohen's Inaugural Address on Dec. 7, 2009 he set forth a goal of making Annapolis "the best run city in Maryland" and identified three guiding principles for his administration: effective, efficient and transparent governance.