|
 |
|
Photo by Travis Pratt
Joe Cohen, owner of the Classic Cigars and British Goodies, is running for alderman.
Purchase this photo |
|
 |
|
|
Joe Cohen, owner of a downtown cigar and British goods shop, will run for a seat on Frederick 's Board of Aldermen.The newly minted American citizen uttered his oath of allegiance only a month ago during Frederick 's Pangaea festival, but said he is ready to address the issues of a city he has called home for almost 10 years. "I have always been interested in politics even before I came to this country," said Cohen, a native of Manchester, England. Cohen, 69, is running as a Republican. He opened his store, Classic Cigars and British Goodies, about a decade ago and moved to Frederick shortly thereafter. He has lived in the United States for 23 years. He recently relocated his store about a block south to 14 N. Market St. As an alderman, Cohen said he wants to allow free parking on Saturdays to benefit downtown merchants. He said he sees other opportunities for boosting business in Frederick , including bringing commercial flights to the Frederick Municipal Airport. The city's historic preservation commission should not obstruct business in downtown, he said. "You can have an HPC if you want, but I want it to work within reason," he said. He said he also supports finding larger headquarters for the Frederick Police Department. "We should have a police force in a growing city like Frederick that is equipped to do the job," he said. Cohen is married and has three dogs. He moved to New York City and later lived in Leesburg before moving to Frederick . Previous jobs included selling radio advertising and marketing safety material for the Halliburton Co. during the 1970s. He joins a growing list of aldermanic candidates. Republicans Senitta Conyers and John Shupe have submitted paperwork to run for office. Republican Alderman C. Paul Smith announced he will run for another term but has not filed papers. Democrats John Daniels, Andrew Kotkin, Carol Krimm, incumbent Donna Kuzemchak, Michael O'Connor, Kelly Russell and Karen Lewis Young have filed to run. The city's primary election is scheduled for Sept. 15. The general election is Nov. 3. The last day a candidate can file is July 7.
|
