Councilman at Extra Large

From the Issues List:

"Dean Zimmerman has announced he is running for city council but hasn't
announced for what ward..............2,6,8, 9?...."

Guilty!

From the startribune. . .November 29.

"Council Member Dean Zimmermann is considered Sabri's biggest supporter on the
council. . . ."

From the startribune. . .December 7.

"Minneapolis developer Basim Sabri was found guilty on three counts of bribery
today by a federal jury in St. Paul."

Sabri's "Biggest Supporter"

From the Strib (November 29th),

"Council Member Dean Zimmermann is considered Sabri's biggest supporter on the council, but even he admits to mixed opinions.

"He's come in and developed areas that had been languishing for a long time," Zimmermann said. Both council members acknowledge that they hear complaints about Sabri, but "we also hear he's really great," Zimmermann said.

He said he doesn't think Sabri is much different than many developers working in the city.
Unlike most developers, however, Sabri will be in federal court in St. Paul today fighting for his future. "

[b]The Strib also mentions that the trial may reveal the identity of another city council member who took a bribe from Sabri....I wonder who that could be?[/b]

Green Party in Debasement

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From the Mpls Issues Forum:

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What's up with the Green Party?

Isn't CM Dean Zimmerman a Green?

If so, what's up with his introducing, pushing and voting for making an
exemption to the city’s shoreline height ordinance and Shoreland Overlay
District last Friday (I believe) to allow a building far taller than normally
allowed by law on East Calhoun Parkway, over the objections of the vast
majority of neighbors, concerned citizens and even a resolution by the Park
Board -- where he formerly served as a commissioner?

It looks like a complete sell-out to developers who have but one value in
mind: more profit.

It just doesn't add up.

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Incidentally, someone just let me know that the Green Party has lost its major party status.

"We think that we can create a nice situation for them."

CITY WILL PRESS SEARS TO MOVE LAKE STREET K-MARK, REOPEN NICOLLET AVENUE

The Minneapolis Observer, 10/11/04

The September 29 sale of the K-Mart at Lake and Nicollet could signal some movement on the city's longtime desire to reopen Nicollet Avenue--or not.

As Michael Metzger reports in the Southwest Journal, a consortium of developers and neighborhood groups next month will unveil a development plan for the site in the hope that the store's new owner--Sears--will be amenable to demolishing the store and opening up the thoroughfare to the popular Eat Street district to the south, which has been blocked for more than 20 years.

Though Sears has announced that it will renovate rather than rebuild the 49 K-Mart stores it acquired last month, Council Member Dean Zimmermann (Ward 6) said he was optimistic that a deal could be negotiated. "This is the most optimistic I've felt about opening up Nicollet for a long time," he said. "That somebody who is not in bankruptcy now owns the property is a good thing. We think that we can create a nice situation for them."

Dick Cheney Jr.

A public official who meets with a "few others" to help plan a strategy for "interests".

"I also think that at the next Board meeting, we should discuss the CPRT strategy for the Public Hearing on the 27th. I know that Dean Zimmerman is planning to attend the hearing. Sometime next week, I plan on meeting with him and a few others to look at the comprehesive strategy for all PRT interests that will be there."

Council Overides R.T.'s First Veto

The stench was so powerful, no air freshener could cover up it up. The Minneapolis City Council voted September 24th to overide R.T's veto on behalf of self-described bully and accused felon Basim Sabri .

The mutterings at City Hall say this overide of R.T.'s veto paves the way for Schiff to challenge R.T. next year and Zimmermann will run for Schiff's council seat.

Stay tuned.

It Ain't Easy For Dean to Be Green

In a month or so we'll learn which Skull & Bones candidate gets to put his shoes up on the big oak desk in the Oval Office and Minneapolitans will be able to turn their attention to...the city-wide elections!

It's pretty certain the two incumbent council members, Robert Lilligren and Dean Zimmermann will be battling to represent the 6th Ward. It's gosh darn amazing to this humble blogger that Dean hasn't been chucked out of the Green Party yet. Except for a few symbolic votes on "progressive" stuff like the Iraq War, he tends to vote along with his DFL cohorts on bonding millions of dollars for pricey items like parking garages and granting favors of all kinds to developers like Basim Sabri-- whose $95,000 bribery of Brian Herron is alleged to have been caught on tape by the FBI.

But what I'd really like to hear is an explanation of Zimmermann's opposition to completing the Cedar Lake Trail to Washington Avenue.This article from the Skyway News quotes Zimmermann and a few others making the bogus claim that it's unsafe to bike on Washington Avenue (There's a bike store a block down Washington Avenue from the proposed trail exit ramp.)

The question everyone should be asking is why are all these objections to the bought-and-paid-for Phase III Plan popping up now?

Do you think it might have something to do with the...um...stadium?

I heard from the city that the stadium (in the proposed Rapid Park site) would be "cantilevered over the trail". Besides having to bike in a dark, scary tunnel, I'm sure this will create additional design and building costs. I suspect that they would prefer not to have to deal with the trail extension at all which is why I think they are bringing up this objection to the ramp at Washington Avenue.

That anyone would throw a monkey wrench into this project to help some property owner sell his parking lot to the stadium developers is in my opinion a scandal. Zimmermann still supports adding ramps to Lake Street so that more cars on 35W can have easier "access" to Lake Street...but he opposes bicyclists having ramp access from the trail to the heart of downtown Mpls. That ramp to Washington Avenue has already cost taxpayers $300,000. I'd like to hear Zimmermann and his supporters explain away THIS one.

Basim's Buddy

It was only a matter of time before Rybak, Zimmermann and Sabri got together on something.

During his first and hopefully penultimate election, Rybak toted around a big air freshener saying everyone...EVERYONE in City Hall was tainted with the stench of corruption evidenced by Basim Sabri's alleged bribery of Brian Herron (who went to jail). He included his opponent Lisa McDonald who was a special target of Basim's wrath.

Now Rybak is Basim's champion.

Where is that air freshener?

Pod Man Out

Hmmmm... So Councilmember Dean Zimmermann who has spent much of his term in office either snoozing through meetings or boring everyone with his nutty scheme to build a $600 Million "Personal Rapid Transit" system in South Minneapolis and was a no-show at the T&PW Committee Washburn High School meeting concerning the Crosstown Project on June 14th just woke up to the fact that Hennepin County and their friends at MnDOT plan to widen Lake Street and other nasty things. He asked the List Manager of Minneapolis Issues, David Brauer to forward an open letter signed by 5 councilmembers asking important questions about Hennepin County's plan to turn Lake Street into a kinder, gentler version of a racetrack at the Bemidji Speedway. What's odd is that Zimmermann... or a person impersonating Zimmermann has posted on the Issues List before....Not to be petty, Minneapolis Confidential salutes Dean's newfound interest in transit and urban design. We hope he continues to show as much down-to-Earth concern about Lake Street and 35W as his hardworking colleagues Councilmember Lilligren and Councilmember Niziolek.