Government > City Departments/Offices > Office of the Mayor > Joshua J. Cohen's Bio

Mayor Joshua J. Cohen

A lifelong Annapolitan, Josh Cohen lives in West Annapolis with his wife Lesley and their daughters Naomi and Tessa. He has worked in the criminal justice field for eight years as a parole and probation agent, trainer and grant manager. He was elected Mayor on November 3rd, making him the first person to serve both as a member of the Anne Arundel County Council and as Mayor of Annapolis.

Prior to running for public office, Josh was an active participant in Annapolis civic life. He served on the boards of the Eastport Civic Association, Ward One Residents Association, Annapolis Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, and the City and County's joint Transit Advisory Committee. He is a past chairman of GreenScape, the OIC Job Readiness Center, and the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee. Josh also is a Founding Father and ex-Premier of the Maritime Republic of Eastport.

Josh was first elected to the Annapolis City Council in 2001 representing Eastport. During that campaign Josh became the first candidate for city office to have a campaign website, demonstrating early on his commitment to strong communication with the public. After Josh's first term The Capital described him as an honest, straightforward and responsive representative, and he was re-elected in 2005 by the largest margin of any candidate citywide. In 2006 Josh was elected to the Anne Arundel County Council.

During Josh's eight years in public office he has fought to protect our community's character and enhance our quality of life. Josh has worked with his colleagues to accomplish a wide range of successes, from improving working conditions for public safety personnel; securing funds for more teachers, new schools and new magnet programs; strengthening zoning protections to preserve Annapolis' village character; pushing stringent new environmental protections for our waterways; supporting Annapolis' unique business communities such as our hospitality and maritime industries; and reining in spending and reducing our tax rate.

Josh is a graduate of the Key School, earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, and has completed Master's courses in Public Administration at the University of Baltimore.