An Article from the Plain Press Archives
Reader questions Plain Dealer’s quick endorsement of Cimperman
To the editor:
Editor’s Note: This letter from a resident of the 10th Congressional District was originally submitted to the Plain Dealer. Due to the Plain Dealer’s refused to publish the letter, the Plain Press offered a space for the author to voice his concerns.
Dear Plain Dealer Editor Susan Goldberg
Plain Dealer Politics Writer Mark Naymik again slants his reporting against Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a true populist and progressive. In his December 4 story, Naymik boosts the candidacy of Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman, who is running for Congress against Kucinich, by falsely claiming that Cimperman is an advocate for the poor and a "populist"
Cimperman is no populist. What "populist" things has he done? Nothing. He doesn't even live in that Congressional District.
LETTER
The aristocratic Plain Dealer, owned by the multi-millionaire Newhouse family in New York, is so eager to have a paid agent of big business (Cimperman) running against the champion of the people (Kucinich) that it editorially endorsed Cimperman December 6, just two days after Cimperman announced his candidacy.
Did the Plain Dealer suddenly thoroughly interview Cimperman between December 4th and 5th to really compare him on Congressional issues to Kucinich and the other candidates running against Kucinich? Probably not.
It is a dishonest and illegitimate endorsement. Cimperman does not really care about the poor. He's bogus. He opposed a needed 24-hour downtown shelter for the homeless. He appears to be trying to drive poor, skinny, freezing beggars out of sight downtown for the wealthy downtown businesses which dislike beggars, and give him tens of thousands of dollars, so he can run against the popular and not-sold-out Kucinich, whom big business does not like. Because they cannot bribe Kucinich, that's really why the Plain Dealer opposes him.
Cimperman tried to evict poor Frank Giglio from his Cleveland house, making false accusations against Giglio. Some said the real reason was to get Giglio's land for developers(December 6, 2006 Free Times news story by Michael Gill). He is dishonest and cannot be trusted.
Cimperman shows his disdain for the public and desire to avoid accountability by going along with City Council's arrogant refusal to let Cleveland residents speak at City Council meetings. The dozens of cities near Cleveland let their residents speak at City Council meetings. Kucinich answers letters from constituents, but Cimperman has not replied to letters from his ward residents who are members of ohiopatientsrights [at] yahoo [dot] com, asking him to introduce legislation in City Council to prohibit Cleveland hospitals from sometimes banning patients for complaining about their medical care.
I noted that Cimperman supported and sat next to Cleveland City Councilman Joe Santiago days ago at a hearing about Santiago's mid-December recall election. Why not recall Cleveland City Council President Martin Sweeney, too?
The December 5 Plain Dealer reports Sweeney is getting his buddy Mayor Frank Jackson to give $60,000 of Cleveland taxpayers' money, as hush money, to City Council Clerk Emily Lipovan, to drop her charge of sexual harassment against Sweeney. Why doesn't the Plain Dealer editorialize for a law to stop Cleveland City Hall officials from using taxpayers' money to pay-off victims of their illegal crimes? Sweeney should use his own money to pay off Lipovan. And he should resign.
Steve Gannis