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Mark B. Cohen (born June 4, 1949) is a Democratic politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented District 202 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from June 10, 1974, until his defeat for reelection in the Democratic primary in 2016.

In 2017, Cohen ran for judge and won in both the primary and general election. On January 2, 2018, Cohen was sworn in for a 10-year term as a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia.

Early life and education

He was born in New York City, the oldest child of Florence and David Cohen.

Cohen attended Central High School of Philadelphia, graduating in 1966. He sent a letter on September 25, 1965 to civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr., inviting King to speak at his school.

Cohen enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as a features writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian and an officer of the Penn affiliate of the College Democrats of America.[2] Cohen graduated in 1970 with a degree in political science.

Cohen earned a law degree from the Harrisburg campus of the Widener University School of Law (now known as Widener University Commonwealth Law School) in 1993 and an M.B.A. from Lebanon Valley College in 2000.[3][4] As an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar, he is qualified in the practice of law in Pennsylvania. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States district courts for Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the US Supreme Court.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Original election

Cohen was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a special election on May 21, 1974.[6] He was 24 years old. He was officially nominated for the special election as the Democratic nominee for the vacant House seat by the executive committee of the Democratic State Committee.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

In 2018, Cohen returned to elected office with his election to the Court of Common Pleas. Despite being given a "Not Recommended" rating by the Philadelphia Bar Association, he won a seat on the court, albeit with the second-lowest number of votes among the victors.

Political positions

Public health

Cohen supported the legislative efforts to greatly reduce public exposure to second-hand smoke, and potential for damages from it, supporting both the legislation banning much smoking in restaurants that was enacted in 2008[37] and the more comprehensive ban previously proposed.

He was a sponsor and part-author of a chemical right to know bill signed into law by Governor Richard Thornburgh.[38][39] Cohen helped expose the selling of tainted meat to McDonald's and testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Livestock and Poultry that U.S. food safety laws should be strengthened.

He was a force in the House behind Pennsylvania's Organ Donation Trust Fund.[41] The law establishing it gave organizations specializing in organ transplantation hospital access to potential organ donors, set up a system of drivers' license identification for each potential organ donor, and publicized the need for organ donation. It became a national model, and the basis for a new national policy during the Clinton Administration.

To protect the health and safety of Pennsylvania public sector workers under the jurisdiction of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, he introduced a proposed law creating a state-run OSHA system for state and local governmental employees.

Education reform

A backer of the establishment of charter schools in Pennsylvania, legislation he supported helped start three charter schools currently in his legislative district: Imhotep High School, Delaware Valley High School, and Tacony Elementary School.

Civil rights

Cohen was the first House member to introduce legislation to seek recognition of same-sex unions in Pennsylvania, bringing forth legislation for civil unions on April 22, 2010 (House Bill 2447) and, with ultimately 43 co-sponsors, on February 14, 2011 (House Bill 708).[44][45] The bill was unsuccessful, and same-sex marriage was later legalized in Pennsylvania due to a federal court decision.

He supported the inclusion of gays and lesbians in Pennsylvania's Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act.

Voting

He supports the rights of all citizens to vote, with or without government-issued photo identification.

He vocally criticized the proposed replacement of the winner-take-all allocation system for Pennsylvania's electoral votes by a system giving a candidate a single vote for each Congressional district carried, with just two votes for carrying Pennsylvania. Cohen wrote that the plan "unconstitutionally abridges the right to vote of Pennsylvania's minority citizens."

Other positions

In recent years, Cohen has brought pending state-level national issues to the Pennsylvania House, introducing bills establishing Pennsylvania's membership in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, legalizing medical marijuana,[49] and allowing people to get civil unions in Pennsylvania.

Cohen opposes the castle doctrine, which allows citizens a broader legal defense for shooting others on their own property or their own workplace.

National involvement

Cohen was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for the seat in the US House of Representatives held by Joshua Eilberg in 1978.[51] He actively campaigned in 2003 for the Democratic nomination for the Congressional seat being vacated by Joseph Hoeffel to run for the US Senate, but withdrew his candidacy in January 2004 when it had become clear that Allyson Schwartz had more support than he did.[52][53] After Schwartz announced her gubernatorial candidacy in 2014, Cohen filed with the Federal Election Commission as a congressional candidate, but quickly announced he had reconsidered and would not run for Congress.[54] In 2016, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Criticism

Cohen has faced a large amount of criticism for his use of government perks. Journalist John Baer dubbed him the "king of perks" for his use of per diems. In 1990, it was reported that Cohen used as much as $100,000 in per diems, including $11,000 for airline tickets, over a year and a half. Likewise, in 2004-05, he billed the state of Pennsylvania $28,200 for books. His use of per diems was used to attack him during the 2016 campaign that resulted in his losing his seat.

Personal life

He and his wife Mona, a Philadelphia special education teacher and advocate for children with autism,[56] have one daughter and reside in Northeast Philadelphia.

Courtesy – Wikipedia
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