Joe Cimperman December 2015

Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman, standing at center, congratulates executives from three local hospitals in December after signing a community covenant to fight the high rate of infant mortality in Cuyahoga County.

(Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After 18 years in his current job, Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman is leaving the public sector, stepping down to become president of a nonprofit economic-development group focused on immigrants, refugees and other newcomers to the city.

Global Cleveland's board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to place Cimperman in the executive's seat. He'll start work in the spring, after finishing out city budget hearings in March. At this point, council hasn't identified a replacement to represent a ward that spans most of downtown Cleveland and a cluster of stable and resurgent neighborhoods to the west.

"It has been a singular honor to work for this ward, and I will always be imprinted by it," said Cimperman, visibly choked up, during an interview.

But, he said, the job at Global Cleveland is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Cimperman, who is 45, grew up in the city's St. Clair-Superior neighborhood as the son of an immigrant mother who spoke Slovenian. He's displayed enthusiasm for helping new residents, from highly educated immigrants to refugees fleeing danger and persecution, find their place in the city.

"Joe has always shown great passion and compassion in standing with both the immigrant and refugee population here in Cleveland," Mayor Frank Jackson said in a written statement. "His work ethic and leadership speak volumes to his capabilities. ... With Joe's leadership, Global Cleveland and the city of Cleveland will be known internationally for our welcoming of immigrants and refugees."

Joe Cimperman represents ward three, which includes most of downtown and parts of several neighborhoods, including resurgent swaths of the city's west side. Now he's leaving his longtime council seat for a nonprofit-sector job.

Business and civic leaders formed Global Cleveland in 2011 to lay out the welcome mat. The nonprofit aims to boost economic and ethnic diversity, luring new arrivals to stem decades-long declines in employment and population.

But the organization has grappled with uncertainty about its long-term leadership, funding plan and place in the local economic-development ecosystem. Joy Roller, the most recent president, resigned in April. Since then, the nonprofit has operated under the interim leadership of its development director.

David Fleshler, the board chairman, said the decision to hire Cimperman capped an extensive search and interview process involving more than a dozen local candidates. "Joe brings so much to this position," said Fleshler, vice provost for international affairs at Case Western Reserve University.

"He's a collaborative person who works with all different parts of the community, from the mayor to the refugee who is here on his or her first day in Cleveland, and can relate to people," Fleshler said. "His ability to understand what people are going through, newcomers who are coming to Cleveland, and his passion for the city, the county, the region is, I think, unparalleled.

"We feel like we're getting a true leader," he said.

Through 2014, Global Cleveland attracted $4.4 million in contributions, with most of that money coming from foundations, companies and individuals, according to IRS filings. The nonprofit received a $750,000 award from Gov. John Kasich's JobsOhio program and has drawn financial support from the city and Cuyahoga County.

Valarie McCall, an original board member and the mayor's chief of government and international affairs, said she expects Cimperman to bring sustainability to the organization.

"We're like a start-up business," she said, "and we're ready to go to the next level. We need the person to take us there, and beyond. And, quite honestly, we feel that Joe is that person."

Cimperman joined City Council in 1997 and represents the central business district, where thousands of renters have moved into once-empty buildings during the last decade. His ward also includes the St. Clair-Superior, Tremont, Ohio City and Old Brooklyn neighborhoods. He and his wife, Nora Romanoff, live in Ohio City with their daughter Maeve, who is 7, and their son Samuel, who is 4.

Outspoken at times and not immune to controversy, he's sparred with vendors at the city-owned West Side Market; championed urban agriculture; sought protections for gay, lesbian and transgender residents and workers; and garnered backing from the business community and downtown developers.

In 2008, he challenged, and lost to, Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic bid for a congressional seat. For years, he's been on the short list of potential candidates for Cleveland mayor. On Thursday, he wouldn't say whether his pending hop to the nonprofit sector means an end to his political aspirations.

"I've learned a lot," he said. "I've made a lot of mistakes as a councilperson. I've learned from those mistakes. Those mistakes are gold now. ... You learn a lot when you're in the crucible of City Hall, and what I've learned, more than anything else, is how you work with the people who get things done. I can't thank people enough for giving me the time that they did. Eighteen years is a great amount of time spent serving people. And I'm hoping to continue to serve them in this new role."

Cimperman and his fellow council members are paid just over $80,000 a year. As the last president of Global Cleveland, Roller received a base salary of close to $150,000 in 2014, based on the nonprofit's annual IRS filings.

Departing council members typically recommend their successors, who are subject to vetting and approval by the full body. The person who fills Cimperman's seat would finish out the rest of his seventh term, ending Dec. 31, 2017. A council spokeswoman said a replacement hasn't been singled out yet.

Kevin Kelley, council president, said Cimperman will be sorely missed.

"Joe has accomplished more during his tenure on council than most will in a lifetime," Kelley said in a written statement. "Joe has been masterful at advocating and advancing development as well as social-justice issues and public health. Throughout his career on council, he has been an aggressive agent of positive change. Whoever is appointed to replace him will have to fill some very big shoes."

Cimperman said he was visiting a refugee camp in Athens, Greece, last year as part of a German Marshall Fund trip when he received a message about the job opening at Global Cleveland. The timing felt providential.

He hopes to chip away at some lingering initiatives, including building facade-inspection legislation, public health efforts, rezoning discussions and changes to operations at the West Side Market, before he leaves City Hall.

Other work, he said, will go on without him.

"Joe is a person of passion," said Albert Ratner, co-chairman emeritus of Forest City Realty Trust and one of Global Cleveland's founders. "You might not agree with the passion at times, but you know where he stands. On a personal level, I'm very pleased that Joe has been the person selected. I think if there's such a thing as a man of the people, Joe is that person. He has a great respect for immigrants, for the past. He understands the struggle of people coming in. And he's a great believer in the American system, in the fact that you build things. He's a builder. He's not a tearer-down."

An earlier version of this story listed an incorrect title for Valarie McCall, a member of the mayor's cabinet. The error has been corrected.