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.
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.