Mark B. Cohen (born June 4, 1949) is a Democratic politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Succeeding Eugene Gelfand, he has represented Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 202 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since June 10, 1974, making him the most senior member in the Pennsylvania General Assembly since the December 27, 2010 death of Sen. Michael O'Pake, one of the most senior state legislators in the United States, and one of the longest serving state legislators in Pennsylvania history. He is one of those who "know Harrisburg," a reporter summarized. Unlike the Dean of the United States House of Representatives, being the most senior member of the Pennsylvania House is not considered a formal position. Cohen, in the 2013-2014 legislative session, still remains younger than many members of both the Pennsylvania House and the Pennsylvania Senate.
Cohen served as a member of the House Democratic leadership from January, 1990, through November, 2010, in the positions of Democratic Caucus Chairman (1990–1992 and 1994–2010) and Majority Whip (1992–1994). No one has been elected as a Democratic Party caucus leader in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as many times (11) as Cohen.
As an elected leader of the House Democratic Caucus for 21 years, he worked to unite an often deeply divided group of Democratic legislators, His efforts sometimes led his colleagues to publicly praise him. His efforts for party unity did not always succeed, either in caucus elections or in public policy
In the April 24, 2012 Pennsylvania Democratic primary election, Cohen "comfortably" and "decisively" defeated the "spirited challenge" with "a whiff of Identity politics" of his "organized" and "energetic" primary opponent and won nomination for a 21st term (20th full term) in the Pennsylvania House. Cohen won his Democratic record-setting 21st term with no Republican opponent in the General Election. Seen as a "valuable asset" in the legislature, Cohen received 63.5% of the vote in the Democratic Primary. This victory came in a year in which "Nationwide, 197 state legislative incumbents lost in their party primaries." In a pre-election interview with the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, Cohen said "The public mission of the Pennsylvania legislature is to help Pennsylvania citizens. We legislators all are, and all should be, judged on how well we accomplish that."
His 7 years as Democratic (Majority) Chairman of the House Labor Relations Committee were years of collaborative relationships with other legislators and legislative staff. Michael E. Cassidy, elected to a single House term in 1976 beginning at the age of 21, long served as his executive director.
His former staff counsel Nia Wilson served as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
His long-time staff aides have included Eric Fillman, currently serving as Deputy Chief Counsel to the House Democratic Caucus and a longtime leader of the Finnegan Foundation, and Dawn Reese, currently serving as Assistant Chief Clerk of the House and a longtime Chair of Pennsylvania's Organ Donation Advisory Committee. Tragedy struck his legislative assistant Pamela Gleason, who lost her police officer husband due to his on-the-job murder, and then lost her life as she was trying to rebuild it. His aide Leola M. Stowall retired from his staff due to ill health, but continued her activism for grandparents raising grandchildren and others "who are more in need than I am" even as she was receiving dialysis treatment for malfunctioning kidneys caused by high blood pressure and diabetes. His former aide Leon L. Czikowsky served as Staff Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures' Children, Families and Health Committee, is a Top Reviewer for amazon.com and a frequent discussant of public issues at the WashingtonPost.com.
Read more about Mark B. Cohen: Democratic Chair of State Government Committee, Democratic Chair of Human Services Committee, Personal, Early Governmental Career, Majority Chairmanship of House Labor Relations Committee, Improving The Public's Health, General Legislative Efforts As Elected Democratic Leader, Appointments By Recent Speakers, Expansion of Educational Opportunities and Funding For All Pennsylvanians, Expansion of Educational Opportunities For Philadelphians, Independence From City Hall, Political, Civic and Governmental Activism, Early Support of Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign, Other Participation in National Politics, Preserving Legal Rights, Preserving A Small District Legislature, Public Interest Litigation, Electoral College Reform, Medical Marijuana, Civil Unions, and Other Pending State-level National Is, Notable House Speeches, Academic Freedom, Notable House Floor Speeches, Freedom of Speech, Legislative Fellows and Interns, Quotations, Social Media, Awards and Recognition Received
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“There mark what ills the scholar’s life assail,
Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the gaol.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“The middle years are ones in which children increasingly face conflicts on their own,... One of the truths to be faced by parents during this period is that they cannot do the work of living and relating for their children. They can be sounding boards and they can probe with the children the consequences of alternative actions.”
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