MEET GIL HACOHEN
Hello! My name is Gil Hacohen, and I am running to represent LD 26 in the Arizona House of Representatives. I was originally born in Israel, and moved to the United States when I was six years old. I got to watch my father live out the American dream, when he moved here with just his family, and nothing in his pockets, and built a successful business, while raising his family.
Over the past few years, I have watched my community slowly deteriorate. Homelessness has become, pervasive. Rent has increased over 50%, driving many neighbors to move away. Many families who stay—are afraid to let their children play outside. Meanwhile, Capitol politicians are making it harder to vote! I believe we deserve better. Families should feel safe from crime and rising costs. Food, shelter, clothing, and medical assistance (including mental healthcare) should be available for those in need. Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their American Dream—whether that is owning a home, going to college, starting a business, being able to retire, or becoming a U.S. citizen. And our most important democratic right, the right to vote, which has been protected by millions of veterans, must never be infringed on.
With my unique perspective as an immigrant, and small business owner, as well as the experience I have acquired as a successful litigator and negotiator, I will implement common sense solutions to our policy problems, and help us move past political polarization based on ideological “issue positions.” I want to serve my community by being a part of the change I want to see.
Promises:
As I was canvassing the community to obtain signatures to get on the ballot, I had the opportunity to engage many of the residents from our district in conversation about the issues that worry them the most. The number one issue that was raised was the homelessness epidemic which is pervasive in our district. That is why addressing homelessness is the number one issue on my platform. Although the issue is complex, and there is no magic bullet that can eliminate homelessness, I believe that there are steps that can be taken to curb the crisis. Increasing mental health resources in our district is a top priority. Many of the homeless suffer from mental health disorders, and have nowhere to turn. In conjunction, we need to increase job training resources. It does not good to help someone get off the streets, if they have no prospect of a good job to keep them off. Lastly, we need to increase drug rehabilitation programs, to address the addiction issues that plague many of those living on the streets. These three combined factors will not only address homelessness, but will also reduce crime our community, and bring high wage, quality jobs to the district.
In addition to addressing homelessness, a major issue of concern for residents was protecting our right to early mail in voting. The State legislature has recently passed bills that propose to eliminate mail in voting entirely. Not only do I believe this is unconstitutional, it is also a fundamental attack on our most important democratic right. By proposing that all voting take place in person, on election day, Republicans at the Capitol are disenfranchising thousands of voters who may be sick, incapacitated, or simply unable to take the time off to stand in line to vote on election day. This cannot be allowed to stand, and I will do everything I can to ensure that Arizona’s successful mail in voting program remains intact.
