Councilman-elect seeks to learn the ropes before he takes office

At a ceremony for veterans at Van Cortlandt Park’s Memorial Grove on Sunday, master of ceremonies Herb Barret put Councilman-elect Andrew Cohen on the spot.

“Let’s see if he has something to say other than campaigning,” Mr. Barret said.

In keeping with a trend from his months-long campaign for office, Mr. Cohen gave a shorter, less self-assured speech than long-time incumbents including outgoing Councilman G. Oliver Koppell and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

“I don’t want to make any of the other speakers feel old, but my grandfather was a World War Two veteran,” Mr. Cohen said. “I knew him quite well growing up, and he instilled in me the importance of this day and his sacrifice.”

Mr. Koppell and Mr. Dinowitz’s speeches placed them closer to World War Two, with the outgoing councilman referring to his parents’ experience fleeing Nazi Germany and the assemblyman saying his father served in the Air Force during the conflict.

Since his campaign started, Mr. Cohen has shown deference to Riverdale’s incumbents. But in a recent interview, he said joining the city council in January would cast him center stage. “When I take office on January 1st, I will have a higher profile sort of by definition,” he said.

In the meantime, Mr. Cohen said he is working to strengthen his connections with community members and build relationships with his future colleagues.

Mr. Cohen was among 30 current and incoming Democratic council members at an Oct. 30 press conference at City Hall calling for a series of reforms including equal distribution of discretionary funds among all members. Under the current system, the city council speaker determines the amount of funding for lawmakers.

The reforms are aimed at giving council members greater autonomy from the speaker.

“I don’t want you to ask me, ‘Why did you vote for blah blah blah?’ and I don’t want my answer to be, ‘I was afraid the speaker would take away my member items,’” Mr. Cohen said.