- Cogen and son
His kids are high-shooters: his son wants to either be a football player or a heavy metal star. His tiny daughter's back-up career is politician, she really wants to be an Olympic gymnast.
Cogen himself seems a little on edge, like any candidate on election night. This is only the second election he's ever been in. He says the question people have asked him most as he's doorknocking is a little unsettling, "What does Multnomah County do?" His quick reply: "We take care of vulnerable people and protect public safety."
"Has your dad been campaigning too hard?" I ask Cogen's son, Alex.
"No, I think he's balanced it out quite well, actually," replies Alex, sounding eerily articulate for a fifth grader.
If he is upset in this race (unlikely), Cogen always has a couple great former dayjobs. Before he was a county commissioner, Cogen ran his own pretzel company. And before that, in the 80s, he was a waiter in Miami. He claims he has never once done coke. "Actually, the waiters of Miami are mostly fueled by Cafe Cubano," says Cogen.
In other news, this party is serving "Great Balls of Meat."
