First in a series
The freshly elected mayor of Culver City is going continental.
Two weeks from today, Jeff and Rafia Cooper, approaching their 33rd wedding anniversary, will fly off to Italy – Capo d’Orlando, Sicily, to be precise, on business.
Accompanied by Vice Mayor Thomas Small, his wife Joanna, their 9-year-old twins, Lyra and Joey, and immediate past mayor Jim Clarke, they will be examining the feasibility of Capo d’Orlando as Culver City’s prospective next Sister City.
The 11-day jaunt will be the second half of an exploration that began last year when Capo d’Orlando political leaders came to Culver City for a similar visit.
“We are looking to solidify things,” said Mayor Cooper. “Hopefully, they will become one of our Sister Cities,” the first in Europe.
What will the mayor do to convince Capo it should join the fun?
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “I am going there to learn about their culture, their past and to see if there are a lot of parallels between Capo d’Orlando and Culver City.”
Confident of victory, Mayor Cooper said that “I am looking forward to breaking bread with our new friends and forming a long-lasting relationship.”
Assuming a Sister City agreement can be reached within hours, how do the mayor and his wife plan to spend the other 10 days of the 11-day jaunt?
“Rafi and I never have been to Europe,” he said. “So we will be exploring. I am anxious to taste the food and to learn about the Sicilian culture by talking to people.”
(To be continued)