Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim has challengers, but it remains to be seen if any of them are a threat to his office.

The least likely challenger is 20-year-old ODU junior Ryan Cooper, who plans on running in the May 4 mayoral election. AltDaily spoke via email to the ambitious young man about his chances of winning, how he plans on fighting crime, and how being a door-to-door salesman prepared him to be the next mayor of Norfolk.

AltDaily: Let’s start with the blunt, obvious question: You’re a 20-year-old ODU student taking on an incumbent of some 16 years. Do you believe you have a real chance at winning?

Ryan Cooper: Anything is possible. Especially if you work hard enough. If I spend my time efficiently and make the right moves of course I have a real chance at winning. But, to be honest, that’s not the most important reason for my campaign. Even if I don’t win, I will get the opportunity to speak directly to the next mayor of Norfolk, whomever it may be, about the issues that we have. If I bring up a problem in our city as it is today, then anyone else who wants to be mayor will have to address it not only during the campaign process but also after being elected. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

Ryan Cooper For Mayor.

The Mayor has some sizable advantages, namely experience, pre-existing public trust, connections, and fund-raising capabilities. But his greatest advantage might be in name recognition. What are you doing to bridge this gap?

His experience is a definite advantage of his. He’s been doing this for a long time. But nobody is perfect. Paul Fraim is not a bad mayor, it’s just that Paul Fraim focuses on the things important to Paul Fraim, and we don’t all share the same concerns. That’s the whole point of keeping elected officials to limited terms. Mayor A may build up section A during his term, and Mayor B may focus on section B during his, but at the end both sections have been equally represented and assisted.

Trust and connections go hand in hand, and he has the upper one. Fortunately, I have an advantage in this field. I am young. Most people think this will hold me back, but here it propels me forward. I do not have any previous tribulations that could potentially cause me to lean one way or the other. I am neither Republican nor Democrat. I believe in justice, and justice alone. This is where I think the citizens of this city may put their trust. Not in me, or any other person, but in pure legal justice.

Fund raising has not been an issue for me. I am running a very “grass roots” campaign that consists of a lot of speeches at civic league meetings, petitioning, and word of mouth in public venues. It’s working pretty well so far. I’m hoping it can take me all the way – I’d like to waste as little of the people’s money as possible.

Name recognition is a problem remedied by the media. The more interviews I do, the more people will get the chance to hear me out and know who I am. It’s just a matter of time and effort.

I know this may all sound very head-in-the-clouds, but that’s who I am. I dream big and I make big moves. If I were to look down the barrel of this campaign and doubt it or myself, it would all be for nothing. I just stay focused on one task at a time and it will all come together in the end, one way or another. I have full faith in this city and its ability to bandage itself up and continue to float on just as it always has, whether I’m at the helm or someone else.

In that mini-speech you specifically mentioned development and crime as impetuses for you to run. Let’s take those on one-by-one. Where do you think Norfok, and specifically Mayor Fraim, have failed when it comes to developing Norfolk?

Mayor Fraim has not failed. In fact, far from it. He’s responsible for many wonderful areas and buildings that this city is now home to. The problem is that nobody seems to be listening to the residents. The government is made to protect and serve it’s citizens, and I think they deserve a little more attention than they’ve been getting. For instance, the Roland Park issue. Also, the same thing happened in Highland Park. And some neighborhoods have been all but forgotten. It’s kind of aggravating. No taxation without representation, right?

Describe your vision of a fully-developed Norfolk. What cities would you compare it to aesthetically? Economically? Culturally?

Let’s talk crime. What do you think have been this administrations greatest failings when it comes to preventing crime?

Norfolk Police are desperately underfunded. A lot of places in this city need patrol cops at night. Not just to try and catch criminals after something happens, but to deter crime before it ever does. That’s why cops patrol the beat. It’s like the sign that the security system company puts in your front yard. That little thing is worth more than the system itself. No one is going to break into a house with a security system. No one is going to mug a pedestrian in front of a cop. I know this is true because my neighborhood is one of the bad ones. I’ve seen people robbed, stabbed, and shot right outside my door and the police have never been able to do anything about it because by the time they got here the culprit was already gone. They need to be here before things get ugly, not after.

On-campus fun with would-be mayor Ryan Cooper.

What would you do differently as mayor in terms of crime, and what empirical or anecdotal evidence can you share that leads you to believe your plans would be effective?

Like I already mentioned, I want to see more police officers. Literally see them. Where are they? Not on the street. Or maybe they are, but there’s just not enough of them. I’m under the impression that the latter is true. We don’t have enough police officers. I can’t say that enough. We just gotta have more. How to do that isn’t a difficult question to answer, but I unfortunately have to answer it with another question. First allow me to mention that schools, police, roads and everything else I can think of is under funded. That part is common knowledge. Here’s what’s not: Norfolk has been selling off huge chunks of land to private developers. That’s along side the normal sources of city revenue. So the question is, where’s all that money going? Not to the schools – the teachers there have only seen one quality-of-life (2%) raise in four years. Not to the police – we’re down to only a handful of officers per district. Not to the roads – seen ‘em lately? Where is it going??? I intend to find out. Personally, if I have to. The city budget needs to be audited for the sake of us all.

Let’s take a step back and talk about you as a person. I know that at 20 I wasn’t ready to run a mid-sized city. What life experience do you have that has prepared you to be the City’s top official?

But, I can preach from my soap box any time. For the sake of this article I’ll give you a little bit to work with. I started my first business at 12. I mowed lawns for everyone in my neighborhood, and I employed my friends and siblings. At 14 I got my first real job. I made pizza at a place called Jerry’s Subs and Pizza. I thought it tasted awful but loyal customers kept coming back. After that came a series of internships and salesman positions (including door-to-door soliciting) that finally led to me getting my life insurance and annuities license at the age of 19. Now I’m studying international business at Old Dominion University. As far as business savvy and financial knowledge goes, I think I have this whole mayor thing down.

Leadership is a whole different category though. I was a boyscout for a while, also I did some other small time stuff not worth mentioning. But the thing I’m most proud of is serving as Master Councilor of my home Demolay chapter. For those who haven’t heard of it, Demolay is a youth fraternity dedicated to helping young men between the ages of 12 and 21 become the next entrepreneurs of their generation. And, no, I’m not the first of us to persue a political career. President Bill Clinton stated in his biography that Demolay was a major contributor to his success. I have also taken it upon myself to join Freemasonry, though I am not nearly as active as I would like to be. Once I have more time, I would like to contribute some of it to bettering myself in any way I can, but something tells me that I’m doing that already.

That all may be very impressive, but don’t think for a second that that’s all I have to offer. I’m not just a fraternity-promoting insurance agent looking to make a deal and steal your soul. And also I’m trying to do far more than just add to my bragging list. I’m doing this, running for mayor, because I want to change this city for the better. I’m running for mayor because I think I can change this city for the better. I don’t think I’m alone, and I know I’m not going to fail. Failure’s just not an option. The people deserve more than failure.

Like all cities and towns, we have police forces, emergency workers, teachers, and scores of other municipal employees that report to the mayor. We have thousands of elderly people and disabled people who count on the city’s services to literally keep them alive. What would your honest reaction be if you actually did win this? Do you sincerely believe you are prepared?

My honest reaction would be a big thank you to everyone. Not for the victory, but for the opportunity. I’m a young man looking for the right moment to shine, to do something good in the world that will hopefully last beyond my time. If I am elected, I will have that opportunity. I will be able to do something greater than myself. I will be able to fix, clean, and mop this city ’till it sparkles and set up chicken wire so it stays that way. To be prepared for this, in actuality, is impossible. Even with all of the studying I’ve been doing, the researching and the reading, I have no idea what’s in store for me once I enter that office. But in spirit, I’m locked and loaded. I’m ready for a challenge. I’m going to give it all I’ve got and I’m not going to stop. Not until they slam the doors in my face. I’ve been told that I have too much heart for my own good, but I just don’t think that’s possible. It feels like I’m fighting a bear. I have no idea how bears fight, but one of us has to win. And it’s going to be me.

Last question, so we’ll make it an easy one: What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

I’m hesitant to tell this story because it will cause everyone to look at me funny, but I’ve actually broken my nose before. Upon close inspection, it’s angled slightly to the right now, and will be forever. I was on the phone, standing on a friend’s back porch. I was leaning on the support beam for the little roof when I slipped and fell down three stairs. Not three flights, just three little steps. Somehow I managed to plant all of my weight on my face, busting my nose. I woke up a few minutes later and had no recollection of what just happened. The doctor said that he couldn’t reset it – it healed too quickly, but if I want to I can get surgery to straighten it. I don’t think I’ll be doing that any time soon.

If you’d like more information on Ryan Cooper, you can email his campaign here: CSNinfo2010@yahoo.com