Shane Cohn

Shane Cohn (born 16 April 1980) is an American politician who has served since spring 2009 as the Alderman of the 25th Ward of the City of St. Louis, Missouri.

From 2000, Cohn worked as a human resources manager for Citi, supporting the employees in the firm's mortgage servicing operations in the St. Louis area.[1]

In 2002, he co-led a program to build a nationwide employee recognition program at Citi. In 2003, he organized an LGBT organization for Citi employees, Citi Pride, which grew to 86 members in 2007.[1]

Before his election, Cohn worked as a community organizer in Dutchtown,[2] serving on the boards of the neighborhood business association and the neighborhood housing development corporation.[1] He was on the Executive Committee and chaired the Resource Development Committee of the National Conference for Community and Justice of Metropolitan St. Louis (NCCJSTL).[1]

On March 3, 2009, he won a four-way primary race for the Democratic nomination for the position of Alderman of 25th Ward of the City of St. Louis.[2] He ran unopposed in the general election, which he won on April 7, 2009. The 25th Ward comprises portions of the Dutchtown, Mt. Pleasant, and Carondelet neighborhoods. He was sworn in on April 21, 2009, and became the first openly gay elected official in the city's government and the second youngest member of the Board of Aldermen.[2]

In May 2010, to enhance St. Louis' bid to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Cohn sponsored and won unanimous approval of a bill to add "gender identity" to the list of characteristics protected by municipal law against discrimination in housing, public accommodations, and employment.[3]

Cohn was the principal sponsor of St. Louis' Complete Streets law, which requires future projects to incorporate the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and mass transit users into road and street design.[4]

He serves on the board of Gateway 180 Homelessness Reversed, an organization that serves the homeless.[5]