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June 3, 2004

It’s our turn: Cooper will be Dorchester’s first black ‘mayor’

Janel Knight

June 6 will mark a major milestone in Dorchester. Not only will it be the 100th anniversary of Dorchester Day but it will also mark the election of the neighborhood’s first African American mayor, Ralph Cooper, executive director of the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse.

This year’s parade will be dedicated to the men and women serving the United States in the military. As in previous years the day will include a parade led by the neighborhood’s new mayor.

Although the year-long position is largely ceremonial, Cooper is very excited about the day. Dorchester Day began in 1904 in Savin Hill to show a favorable side of Dorchester. The election of a mayor is a way of fundraising for the event. The duties of the mayor include waving to the crowd in the parade and organizing next year’s parade.

Cooper ran his campaign against Peter Sasso, an openly gay man. In past years the only candidates for mayor have been white heterosexual males with the exception of one female. Throughout the campaign the two candidates displayed good feelings towards each other unlike other campaigns that can be scandalous.

“The whole event is going to reflect what Dorchester is. People are going to take notice that Dorchester is a cosmopolitan place. People tend to remember the past but we want them to know that it has changed,” said Cooper.

Just eight years ago former City Councilor Albert “Dapper “ O’Neil made a public comment in Fields Corner directed at the Vietnamese in the area that it reminded him of, “Saigon, for Chrissakes,” and that he would “come back tomorrow with the checks,” a reference to welfare.

Cooper admits that the parade has been very one-sided in the past failing to properly invite the black and Latino side of Dorchester.

To fix this problem Cooper hopes to change the route for next year’s parade and hopes to increase publicity in the black and Latino parts of Dorchester for this year’s parade.

“It is sad that it is one of the biggest parades and people in the Franklin Field area do not know about it,” said Cooper.

This year’s parade is excepted to be the biggest, including 20 marching bands and a float competition sponsored by UMass Boston. The parade begins in Lower Mills and follows Dorchester Avenue and ends at Columbia Road.

Cooper was encouraged to run for mayor of Dorchester by the former neighborhood mayor and committee president Mike Mackan. Campaigning for Cooper began in March and included events at Donnavan’s, Breezeways Cafe, and Merenge. On May 17 Cooper held a major fundraiser at Florian Hall where items such as tickets to the Lion King and a limo ride from Boston Luxury were raffled off.

Every dollar raised equals 1 vote. Cooper won by raising $13,000 while Sasso raised $9,500 at the end of campaigning. All money raised goes to support the day’s activities.

The community came out and supported both candidates. The two candidates also supported each other by attending each others events.

“ I was surprised when I found out that I had won. Sasso’s events were all well attended,” said Cooper.

Sasso will serve as Cooper Deputy Mayor.

 

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