Biography

Joe Cimperman is a son of Northeast Ohio. As a Cleveland City Councilman, Joe works everyday to create jobs and revitalize the region. Joe has a unique combination of energy and experiences that have prepared him to serve as our next Congressman. Cimperman has always been able to get things done and deliver results for Cleveland, and that won't change when elected to Congress.

Joe was born and raised in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood of Cleveland. His mother was an immigrant from Slovenia, his father a union machinist. Cimperman is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School and earned a B.A. in English from John Carroll University.

Right after college, Cimperman worked with Cleveland's "I Have a Dream Foundation," a non-profit dedicated to assisting urban high school students navigate the college admissions process, before joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As a Jesuit Volunteer, Joe worked with developmentally challenged adults in Portland, Maine and at an AIDS Hospice in Baltimore, Maryland. He then returned home to Cleveland where he worked at the West Side Catholic Center as an outreach worker helping homeless families.

In 1997, at the age of 27, Cimperman won a seat on the City Council, continuing his life of service as the representative of Cleveland's downtown ward. As councilman, Cimperman has been at the forefront of downtown revitalization. On Cimperman's watch in the past three years alone, more than 30 technology companies have set up shop downtown, bringing with them over 1,000 jobs with downtown office space occupancy at record levels.

Additionally, Cimperman has led a housing boom in the central city. Downtown has become one of Cleveland's growing neighborhoods, with nearly 10,000 people living there. By 2010, there will be an estimated 20,000 downtown residents. Residency in downtown is now more than 95% occupied.

Finally, Cimperman spearheaded the drive to improve access to health care for the people of Cleveland. Cimperman led the charge to establish the Tremont Neighborhood Family Practice Clinic and The Care Alliance Clinic in the St. Clair-Superior Neighborhood, helping to serve the needs of Cleveland's uninsured or underinsured.

Cimperman believes Northeast Ohio faces significant challenges, challenges that require the full attention of its Congressman. In Washington, Cimperman will be full-time advocate for Northeast Ohio, using the power of this office to create jobs, expand access to health care, and fix the mortgage crisis.

Joe lives with Nora, his wife of two years, in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland.