David Cook: Former Belfast Mayor Dies With Covid-19

Former Belfast Mayor David Cook died after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Cook, 77, became the first non-union mayor of Belfast in more than a century when he took office in 1978.

He was a founding member of the Alianza Party and was elected to its central executive in 1971.

Cook was subsequently elected to the Belfast City Council in 1973, representing South Belfast until 1985.

He was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1982 to 1986 and ran for the European Parliament in 1984.

‘Working for everyone’

Alliance leader Naomi Long said she was “deeply saddened” by Cook’s death.

“It is thanks to the vision of people like David Cook and all those who came together to form the Alliance Party that today’s society can opt for a political representation genuinely focused on working for all,” said Ms. Long.

“David was not only a leader within the Alliance, as a member of our first executive and then as a deputy leader, but he also broke the mold in this city when he became the first non-unionist to be elected mayor in 1978.” .

Ms. Long said that her defeat in the party’s 50-year anniversary was “all the more moving as we were never able to celebrate that anniversary together as a result of Covid-19, to which she ultimately succumbed tragically.”

Former party leader John Cushnahan described Cook as “a very skilled and courageous politician.”

“Many of the initial important meetings of the Alianza Party took place in his home … and together with his wife Fionnuala they performed their duties with great distinction. Without a doubt, he was one of the best mayors ever to hold office.”