Rafael Cordero Santiago - Mayor of Ponce

Mayor of Ponce

In 1988, Cordero received the endorsement of then governor Rafael Hernández Colón for the office of Mayor of the city of Ponce and won the elections for the PPD by 1,617 votes against his opponent Helcías Bermúdez of the New Progressive Party that same year. He won re-elections in 1992, 1996, and 2000.

Among Cordero Santiago's many achievements as mayor are the construction of the Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park, the largest family park in Puerto Rico. The park, which opened in 1994 and was named to honor the founder of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, covers some 80 acres (320,000 m2) and is located at the confluence of the Bucaná and Portugues rivers. Cordero Santiago also built the Tricentennial Park Plaza in 1992, the La Guancha Boardwalk, and is credited with re-establishing the "Ponce en Marcha" project in 1992. In 1991, mayor Cordero Santiago instituted a restoration project for the 25 de Enero Street homes, the street per se, and surrounding area based on their historical value. In 1990, the administration of Cordero Santiago restored the old Parque de Bombas and turned it into a museum that preserves the history of Ponce's firefighters. On Cordero's credit list is also facilitating the establishment of Castillo Serralles as a museum in 1990. There are some who also credit him with the establishment of the Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991. He was also instrumental in the celebration of the 1993 XVII Central American and Caribbean Games held in Ponce.

In late 2003, Cordero signed and initiated the construction of a multi-million dollar mega port complex in Ponce named Port of the Americas, a project he fought for during several years. The project is expected to generate much needed jobs for Ponce residents, and improve the local Mercedita Airport and the Ponce hotel industry. Upon his death in 2004, the project was still in construction. On June 28, 2004, via Law 166, the Legislature of Puerto Rico renamed the Port of the Americas as the ‘Rafael “Churumba” Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas’, in his honor.

Churumba is widely regarded as author of a saying that is still used today:

Ponce es Ponce, y lo demas es parking. (English: Ponce is Ponce, and the rest is parking.)

— Rafael Cordero Santiago

A strong believer in the removal of the U.S. Navy from the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, Cordero was arrested in 2001 and imprisoned for 30 days after practicing civil disobedience during the Navy-Vieques protests by illegally trespassing the restricted grounds of the United States Navy on Vieques.