Joe Cimperman started his campaign to be the first Cuyahoga County Executive today. If you don’t think so, you don’t know the ambitious Joe Cimperman.
Cimperman at a meeting with MMPI’s Mark Falanga a week ago asked Falanga if he would commit to having four meeting on the Medical Mart and Convention Center. Cimperman asked at a Council meeting. It appeared to me that he meant Falanga would appear before Council for more questioning. Of course, Falanga – holding on to a deal valued at $425 million – said, why sure, Mr. Councilman.
It was a mutual admiration society.
Anyone listening would have considered the offer and acceptance meant a meeting before City Council members. It was at such a meeting that the two exchanged agreement. And it made some sense since Falanga had determined the shortness of the meeting by scheduling an early flight back to Chicago.
Now, however, the scheduling of the four meetings appears to be outside the boundaries of City Council. The structure of four meetings has one each on planning, economic impact, architecture and the Mall site. Each meeting will have an already chosen facilitator, none Council members.
So Council is left OUT. Cimperman’s campaign, however, is indeed very much IN.
Cimperman has four meeting in which Cimperman can play the leading part. Council has been iced out.
The County Executive job opening was created by the vote for Issue 6, a constitutional amendment that calls for Cuyahoga County to dump its three commissioners for an elected chief and 11-member elected district county council.
Cimperman came to Council in 1997 playing a young sincere activist with energy to make change. He quickly became a young man on the make, taking as much money as he could from downtown movers and shakers.
“This project has to move forward. It’s too critical for the region, for the economy. We just gotta put our heads down and get this thing done,” Cimperman told the Plain Dealer.
And I need a platform from which to run for higher office, something I’ve always wanted. Cimperman didn’t have to utter those words.
You may remember that Cimperman’s ambitions caused him to run against the sitting Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich in 2007. Cimperman got some 35 percent of the vote in the 10th Congressional District race. Kucinich got 52 percent.
Cimperman would like to be Mayor but that seems out of the question. He likely would have run for County Commissioner had Issue 6 failed. Now, he’s left with the one opening.
So Cimperman is about to scratch that ambition itch again. Never too early to start. The $175,000 position begins in January 2011. Here we go!
Links:
[1] http://li326-157.members.linode.com/blog/roldo/charity-industry-often-overlooked
[2] http://li326-157.members.linode.com/content/roldo-bartimole-0
[3] http://li326-157.members.linode.com/blog/roldo/cities-must-go-where-the-money-is