Giuseppe "Joe" Cimino (born ) is a former politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from June to November 2014. He resigned five months after being elected due to health reasons. Prior to his provincial role he was a city councillor in the

Greater Sudbury City Council Greater Sudbury City Council (french: Conseil municipal du Grand Sudbury) is the governing body of the City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The council consists of the mayor plus a twelve-person council. The city is divided into twelve wards; ...

from 2006 to 2014.

Background

Cimino was born in Sudbury, and holds bachelor's degrees in political science from

Laurentian University Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...

and education from

Nipissing University , mottoeng = Spirit of Integrity , established = , former_names = Northeastern University (1960-1967), Nipissing College (1967-1992) , type = Public University , academic_affiliation = COU, CVU, Universities Canada , endowment ...

. He worked as an elementary school teacher. Cimino and his wife Luisa live in

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

with their two daughters.

Politics

Cimino first ran for a seat on

in the 2000 municipal election, but was not elected; he ran a second time in the 2003 municipal election, and was again unsuccessful. He was elected in the 2006 municipal election, and served on council committees including the Greater Sudbury Housing Corporation board and the Greater Sudbury Public Library board. While sitting as a city councillor, he won the New Democratic Party nomination for Sudbury on October 6, 2013, over the party's 2011 election candidate Paul Loewenberg. He took an unpaid leave of absence from his council seat once the 2014 provincial election was called. During the election campaign, he garnered some press across Ontario for his purported physical resemblance to controversial Toronto mayor

Rob Ford Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...

. On election day, he defeated

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate Andrew Olivier by 980 votes. He was the party's critic for transportation issues, and had identified the continued freeway conversion of Highway 69, a project which had faced significant delays in recent years, as one of his key priorities. On November 20, 2014, five months after his election, Cimino announced his resignation from the legislature citing the strain of being an MPP on his personal health as well as on his family. In a press release, Cimino stated: "I have been asked several times in the past how I was able to balance my public obligations as a city councillor with my family life....Even though it was difficult to do, I was able to be there for my young children, wife and extended family while still serving my community with complete dedication. Unfortunately the pendulum has swung too far to one side in the last several months. Simply, for my personal health wellness, and more importantly the well being of my family I must resign my seat in the Provincial Legislature." Following his resignation, he faced some controversy when it was revealed that he qualified for a $58,000 severance package, representing six months of an MPP's annual salary, but he announced that he would not accept the payout."MPP Joe Cimino won’t take $58K severance payout"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', December 5, 2014.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cimino, Joe 1969 births Canadian people of Italian descent Greater Sudbury city councillors Laurentian University alumni Living people Nipissing University alumni Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs 21st-century Canadian politicians