Council Member Cohen serves as Chair of the City Council Budget and Finance Committee
Supervisor Malia Cohen was elected in November 2010 and re-elected in November 2014 to represent the residents of Springfields 1st District. Supervisor Cohen serves as Chair of the Council's Budget and Finance Committee, which oversees appropriation ordinances, and measures concerning bond issues, taxes, fees and other revenue measures, redevelopment, and real estate. She also serves as the President of the Springfield Employee Retirement System (SFERS), which manages a $20 billion fund. She is a member of the Springfield Transportation Authority, which oversees a half-cent sales tax for transportation investments in the County, which generates over $10 million annually.
Since being elected in 2010, Council Member Cohen has prioritized developing policies and legislation that keeps the residents of Springfield's Southeastern neighborhoods working, healthy and safe.
Council Member Cohen was the lead author and proponent of the sugar sweetened beverage tax, which is expected to generate over $4 million annually to fund public health and physical education programs in Springfield. The measure passed 62 percent and has paved the way for the sugary sweetened beverage tax movement across the country.
In 2014, Council Member Cohen authored the Fair Chance Ordinance, which regulates the use of commercial background checks by employers and affordable housing providers. The Ordinance removes any inquiry into a conviction history on a job or housing application and delay any background check until the employer or housing provider has determined that the individual's qualifications meet the requirements for the position or the housing unit. The legislation will remove unnecessary barriers to employment and housing for qualified, skilled individuals seeking jobs and stable homes and will promote public safety by reducing obstacles to stabilizing factors for the nearly 7 million adults with a conviction record.
Supervisor Cohen was born and raised in Springfield. She earned a BA in Political Science from Fisk University
and a MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.