Jared Solomon’s Rematch Challenge to Mark Cohen is Heating Up

The Citizen Updates: Insurgency in the Northeast

Jared Solomon'southward grassroots rematch challenge to Mark Cohen in the state's 202nd legislative commune heats up

Mar. 15, 2016

When last nosotros saw Jared Solomon, the 37-yr-old Northeast Philly native who, two years ago, ready upwardly a campaign part in his mom's basement and came inside 158 votes of upsetting incumbent State Rep. Marking Cohen, he wasn't feeling sorry for himself. No, through his Take Back Your Neighborhood community group, Solomon, a lawyer past twenty-four hours, responded to his heartbreaking loss past continuing to serve his neighborhood, performing the blazon of constituent services normally done by elected officials. If a elective wanted a stop sign somewhere, they could telephone call Solomon…and his team would help get it washed. Though a private denizen, he enlisted the help of local corporations similar Wawa to refurbish public playgrounds, such equally the Max Myers Recreation Eye.

It was a foregone decision that Solomon would be dorsum to challenge Cohen in next month's Autonomous chief, in nonetheless another classic matchup between old guard and reformer. Cohen, who has been in the legislature for more than 40 years, has long been the face up of local political entitlement. One year, he hit up taxpayers for $39,000 in per diem expenses, oft for days when the legislature wasn't even in session. Over one 2-twelvemonth period, he billed taxpayers for $28,000 in book purchases.

As John Baer recently outlined in The Daily News, Cohen is representative of an out-of-control culture that rips off the taxpayers equally a matter of course. Last year, the 203-fellow member House paid out more than than $2.i one thousand thousand in per diems—$185 per 24-hour interval for food and lodging, with no receipts required. Firm members' base pay is $85,339, and that'south earlier their annual raises or world class benefits or tax-free per diems are figured in. All for a legislature that can't even pass a upkeep. All the same there Cohen was terminal year, racking upwardly over $20,000 in per diems. For his part, Cohen has long maintained that his exorbitant expense business relationship filings only prove that he'southward the hardest working man in Harrisburg.

Solomon has challenged the incumbent to a series of five debates in every part of the District. Cohen hasn't taken the bait. "We tin concord the debates in Mark'southward house and his wife can moderate," Solomon says. "People in our district deserve a argue."

At present, with the election six weeks out, Solomon is gaining momentum, having put together a broad coalition of unions, business concern leaders and political insiders. Councilman Bobby Henon and Controller Alan Butkovitz have endorsed him, as have the plumbers spousal relationship, the firefighters and the FOP—a coup in the cop-heavy Northeast. The Chamber of Commerce has also gotten on board. Meantime, the race has gotten nasty, with Cohen alleging that Solomon volunteers slashed his tires. "Almost of my volunteers are 70 and 80 yr erstwhile women," Solomon says. "They're just concerned about their neighborhood."

Cohen has challenged Solomon'southward roughly one,100 petition signatures. (About 300 are needed to secure a place on the ballot). "Mark's getting desperate and showing a lack of willingness to look at his own tape and exist accountable for it," Solomon says. "We should be engaging in a give-and-take of quality of life issues."

To that terminate, Solomon has challenged the incumbent to a series of five debates in every role of the Commune. Cohen hasn't taken the bait. "We can concur the debates in Marker's house and his married woman tin moderate," Solomon says. "People in our commune deserve a fence."

Solomon is running on a constituent service platform the likes of which, he says, this region hasn't seen. It won't be a stretch, because it'southward what he's been doing with Take Back Your Neighborhood. When the region got pummeled by a snowstorm, for example, it was Solomon and his band of volunteers who knocked on doors and shoveled the driveways of some 60 seniors and disabled people. "My office will be open up 7 days a week and we'll have evening hours," he says. "Every one will take my cell telephone number. Well-nigh have it now."

Solomon'due south constituent service plan isn't just reactive. He says he'll enlist the help of urban studies students to walk the district and identify L&I violations and potholes and cracked sidewalks. "They'll be my eyes and ears."

Every twenty-four hours, knocking on doors, Solomon hears the same quality of life complaints: Boarded up homes. Abased cars. Poorly lit, trash-strewn streets. Aging sidewalks.

Last year, Cohen racked upwardly over $20,000 in tax-free per diems. He has long maintained that his exorbitant expense account filings only show that he'south the hardest working man in Harrisburg.

Simply there are some things that cry out for legislative fixes, like the Northeast'southward worsening poverty and crime. Poverty in the Northeast went up 62 percent between 1999 and 2010 and crime is an always-present fact of life weighing on the minds of Solomon'south neighbors. Legislatively, he wants to reform Section eight housing. "We need to change HUD's computer modeling," he says. "They should space out HUD tenants throughout the Commune, instead of concentrating Section viii tenants." Most critical, Solomon says, landlords who accept Section eight subsidies should either own a dwelling or rent a property themselves in the same neighborhood. "Nosotros accept landlords with 40 Section 8 properties who don't live here," he says. "HUD cuts them their check every month and they simply take and have and have from us."

Kind of like Cohen, to hear Solomon tell information technology. And that'due south where he comes in. Solomon says Cohen and Department eight landlords both prey on the people of the Northeast…and then the cure is obvious: A man of the people. The race is close and likely will come up down to the wire, every bit it did two years ago. I didn't accept the centre to ask Solomon what comes next for him if he comes upward short again. So again, don't we know the answer? He'll lick his wounds, so be back on the streets with his flock, working to make their neighborhood better one block at a fourth dimension.

Correction: An before version of this story mistakenly said State Rep. Brian Sims endorsed Solomon.

Header Photo: Courtesy of Jared Solomon

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/jared-solomon-mark-cohen-insurgency-northeast/

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