CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former downtown councilman Joe Cimperman, once considered a contender for mayor if he ever chose to run, told a judge Tuesday that he was ashamed and embarrassed as he admitted in court that he broke the law 26 times while serving the city.

The usually boisterous and confident 47-year-old struck a contrite tone and his voice shook slightly as he apologized for voting on contracts to award city money to the design firm that employed his wife and that he once served as a trustee.

"This is a cautionary tale and one that I replay over and over in my head and hope you understand how sorry I am and how I wish I would have thought differently when I was first in office," Cimperman said.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Russo immediately sentenced Cimperman to a year's probation, a $10,000 fine and 100 hours of community service after Cimperman pleaded guilty to 26 misdemeanor counts of having an unlawful interest in a public contract.

Cimperman faced a maximum sentence of up to six months in county jail for each count.

Russo ordered Cimperman to report to a probation officer once every six months during his year of probation. If he violates any terms of his probation, Cimperman could serve six months in jail.

Cimperman entered his plea in a courtroom packed with some of the city's foremost leaders in the public, civic and business communities, including many who threw their support behind Cimperman in gushing letters that described his "strong moral character" and commitment to the city.

City Council President Kevin Kelley, councilmen Matt Zone and Kerry McCormack, and restaurateur Sam McNulty and developer Graham Veysey were among more than 30 people who attended, including about 10 people forced to stand in the back of the courtroom throughout the 30-minute hearing because there were no seats left.

Cimperman was charged by information in April, culminating a years-long investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission which later turned over the case to the Auditor of State's Office.

Cimperman said he did not know the votes he was taking, from 2002 to 2006 as he served on the board of trustees as a volunteer and from 2006 to 2013, after he married his wife, Nora Romanoff, were improper in any way. But he admitted that he should have known, and said he would give anything to go back and recuse himself from those votes.

"This isn't who I wanted to be when I first ran for office," Cimperman said.

All 26 pieces of legislation passed with unanimous support from council, so Cimperman's votes did not make a difference, making his votes that much more puzzling. Cimperman admitted to reporters after the hearing that he did not read some of the legislation, and took full blame for it. Other ordinances did not specify that the money was going to ParkWorks, or its successor LAND Studio, and, Cimperman also said that he did not think it was wrong for him to vote to award money to an organization when he served as an unpaid member.

But, Cimperman said, ignorance is no excuse.

"This speaks to the fact that I should have known better and I should have done things differently," he said.

Stephanie Anderson, a public integrity lawyer in the auditor's office that served as special prosecutor in the case, told reporters after the hearing that the fact that none of Cimperman's fellow council members raised concerns over his votes was "problematic."

"It was a pervasive system," Anderson said.

In the courtroom, Anderson cast Cimperman as the latest in a long line of crooked politicians in a city that has been marred by corruption, as a chorus of grumbles among Cimperman's supporters rolled through the gallery.

She agreed that Cimperman did not get tangible payments for his votes, but she cited the salary of wife, Nora Romanoff, which went from $52,000 in 2006 to $125,000 in 2016 due to what then-LAND Studio executive director Ann Zoller said was "the body" of Romanoff's work.

"And the body of her work included these public contracts," Anderson said.

Anderson asked Russo to send Cimperman to jail to send a message that corruption will not be tolerated.

"When the game is already laid out, when the result is already predetermined and when City Council goes in with a completely unanimous vote on 26 separate occasions awarding the contracts to the very company that Mr. Cimperman's wife works for, that's certainly not fair play and it's a deterrent to innovation in city of Cleveland," she said.

Cimperman's lawyer, Roger Synenberg, blasted Anderson's description of Romanoff's career and said that her salary increased because she went from a part-time to a full-time employee.

Synenberg said after the hearing that it was unfair for Anderson to "drag to be dragged into Cimperman's case.

"Clearly Joe didn't know it was happening, and Nora was that much more removed," Synenberg told reporters after the hearing.

Russo said that he was worried that Cimperman violated the public's trust and created at least an appearance to the public that his family benefited from his votes. But he scoffed at the idea that Cimperman's name belongs among those of corrupt politicians past.

"This is not the type of public corruption that has recently been experienced in this county. This is not even the same breadth or scope," Russo said.

Russo went on to compliment Cimperman on his "exemplary public service" and dedication to making the city better, and said that the good work he did far outweighed any benefit he may have gotten for himself or his wife.

"I see this as a long history of outstanding civic service and a regrettable lapse in judgment," Russo said.

Ex-Cleveland city councilman Joe Cimperman pleads guilty to illegally voting on public contracts to award city money to a design firm with close ties to him and his wife. He is expected to be sentenced today as well. Posted by cleveland.com on Tuesday, May 15, 2018

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