Cleveland Plain Dealer Lists Corporate Donations to Joe Cimperman

Cimperman is running for Dennis Kucinich’s seat in Congress.

This is from the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Feb 1, 2008):

Councilman Joe Cimperman leading 10th Congressional District candidates in finances

Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman raised nearly five times as much money last year as incumbent Dennis Kucinich in their 10th Congressional District race, according to financial disclosure reports filed Thursday.

Kucinich, who has spent the past year running for president, raised $47,000 – a third of which was raised in the last three months of 2007. The filing period runs through Dec. 31.

Most of Cimperman’s $228,000 in contributions came from lawyers, developers, bankers and business associates. Forest City Enterprises‘ Ratner family contributed $11,000, and $13,800 came from the Goldberg family, who are affiliated with AmTrust Bank, the former Ohio Savings Bank. About 40 people gave Cimperman the maximum amount of $2,300, including Scott Wolstein, head of Developers Diversified Realty Corp. and lead developer of the Flats East Bank neighborhood; Legacy Village developer Mitch Schneider; event promoter Mike Belkin; and Republican investor Jeff Jacobs.

Cimperman had nearly $205,000 available at year’s end.

Kucinich, who had only $13,400 on hand, recently appealed for money, saying he was “under attack by corporate interests, most of them from the city of Cleveland, who have an agenda that has nothing to do with the people of my community, nor with most people in this country.” He announced Jan. 9 that he was seeking re-election. Two weeks later he dropped his bid for the White House.

Kucinich was correct in his statement that corporate interests are attacking him. Certainly the above benefactors of Cimperman would not necessarily be in the best interests of the working class – bankers, developers, republicans, “business associates”? Kucinich has stated the following:
2008 platform includes:

* Creating a single-payer system of universal health care that provides full coverage for all Americans.
* The immediate withdrawal of all U.S. Forces from Iraq and replacing them with an international security force.
* Guaranteed quality education for all, including free Pre-K and college for all who want it.
* Immediate withdrawal from the WTO (World Trade Organization)and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).
* Repealing the USA PATRIOT Act.
* Fostering a world of international cooperation.
* Abolishing the death penalty.
* Environmental renewal and clean energy.
* Preventing the privatization of social security.
* Providing full social security benefits at age 65.
* Creating a cabinet-level “Department of Peace”
* Ratifying the ABM Treaty and the Kyoto Protocol.
* Introducing reforms to bring about instant-runoff voting.
* Protecting a woman’s right-to-choose while decreasing the number of abortions performed in the U.S.
* Ending the war on drugs.
* Legalizing same-sex marriage.
* Creating a balance between workers and corporations.
* Restoring rural communities and family farms.