minneapolis upside down

(Some seven months ago, the Zimmermann indictment was still fresh as was the memory of the City Council election. This is what I posted in February--the final post of Minneapolis Upside Down, Version 1.0. Many of the original links were dead. I have taken all the links out, but this is the original text, I believe. --Loosestrife)

Surprise. Dean Zimmermann was indicted.

Z makes his first court appearance next Friday, February 10, where he will reportedly plead not guilty. We should expect some of his typical grandstanding in an attempt to turn this mundane case of low-level corruption into a political show trial. It's the last act in the Zimmercircus, and it will prove to be embarrassing to all.

Before this fiasco plays out, let's look back.

In retrospect, the pattern of the Minneapolis 6th Ward City Council race was set early on. Dean Zimmermann played a cat and mouse game with the press in regards to his intentions for his second council campaign , finally settling on moving into the 6th Ward after toying with staying in the 9th Ward where he was redistricted or even talking about moving to Northeast Minneapolis to run for the open seat in the 3rd.

His eventual opponent, Robert Lilligren, never wavered in his decision. He was staying put in his home, meaning he would have to give up his seat in the 8th Ward to run in the 6th; Zimmermann, of course, acted as Lilligren had invaded the hallowed Zimmerturf.

Throughout the campaign, the pattern was repeated: Lilligren proceeded in a straight forward manner while Zimmermann stole the spotlight with stunts and pontification, even using the federal investigation of his alleged corruption to his political advantage--helped by cronies in the local press, and ironically, in Dean's own estimation, by the Man himself.

Now that the campaign is over and the indictment is in, a look back at the affidavit released by the feds last fall indicates that the prosecution's case will likely be pretty simple. The prosecutor will play audio and video tapes that show Zimmermann soliciting and accepting bribes while providing corroborating evidence from Z's computer and records. Additionally, Ed Felien, in his pathetic defense of Z in the Pulse, said that the envelopes stuffed with cash given to Dean by the cooperating witness were recovered by the FBI at the Zimmercompound. That will be just a little hard to explain to a jury.

Zimmermann at best will come off as a sleazy politician, a cliche of low-level corruption, hardly a standard bearer of "refreshingly clean government," to use the Ken Pentel gubenatorial campaign's Green rhetoric.

At worst, Zimmermann is going to jail, a scenario that is very much real despite the Zimmercircus' efforts to convince everyone that he did no wrong.

What the Zimmercircus refuses talk about is how U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger is a Republican player who has no love lost for DFLers. What motivation would Heffelfinger have to nail Zimmermann before the general election when the he could prolong both Green and Democratic agony? Had Zimmermann won, Heffelfinger would have had a real twofer--derailing a left-leaning DFL up and comer and getting his feverish fingers on a corrupt hippie council member just elected to a second term. Imagine the joy in the Republicans' obsidian little hearts had Zimmermann pulled out a narrow victory.

By allowing Green Zimmermann to play, Heffelfinger weakened the arguably more progressive DFLer, Lilligren. Further, an amused Heffelfinger could watch as an aging activist dragged down the entire left in South Minneapolis with a predilection for old fashioned horsetrading. Even if he is acquitted, Z has damaged the Green Party, the anti-war movement, environmentalists, the city of Minneapolis, the general progressive community, and any number of causes that he claims to be his own--not to mention Lilligren. From a Republican perspective, what's not to like?

If the whole FBI raid was "politically motivated" as the Zimmercircus claims, then it should give the Republican behind it some credit for knowing how to fuck with movements and block political change. The Zimmercircus is kidding itself when it claims that their man represented a mortal threat to the establishment. Indeed, when you become an elected public official who plays money games with developers, you are the establishment.

Further, it's simple hubris to assume that Dean was anything but a bumbling, ineffectual political hack--afterall, his "greatest" initiative during this council term was his ridiculous PRT scam.

We hear that on election day, the Zimmercircus fanned out, flaunting legality. Z forces blanketed the 6th Ward with campaign signs placed illegally in boulevards and without permission on business, church, and residential property; numerous Lilligren signs disappeared that day as well. Of course, the Strib's resident Zimmercrony, Doug Grow, reported on Dean Z. himself taking residents from the homeless shelter across the street from his house down to the local polling place and vouching for them after his wife lured them into the Zimmercompound with food. There are eye-witness accounts of the Zimmermann supporters handing out cash for votes, proving that the Zimmercircus was willing to play all the cards it could slip from bottom of the deck.

Ultimately, it just wasn't enough.

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Unfortunately the Minneapolis left has to still deal with the Zimmerspecter. The Greens survived this election, but it was hardly a winner for the party. Despite her bluster, Farheen Hakeem's 14% in the low turnout mayoral primary was a very minor accomplishment, showing only marginal inroads to the politics of the city. Cam Gordon's victory in the 2nd Ward was far more important in that it keeps the Minneapolis Green Party on the agenda for four more years, time perhaps for the Greens to find their footing locally. Michael Cavlan's absurd Senate campaign doesn't bode well, however.

Dean Z's only political base is a South Minneapolis network of lefties, some Greens, some students, and his outright cronies. Unfortunately, for serious activists in South Minneapolis, Dean Z is being prepared for sainthood by the idiot wing of the local Green Party--we hear that Cavlan recently compared Z to Leonard Peltier, missing several points simultaneously--most notably that Peltier is a citizen of the Anishinabe and Lakota nations living his life out in a federal pen while Dean is a white American awaiting his trial in the comfort of his home.

Robert Lilligren will no doubt disappoint--all elected officials do if one's politics are well left of the mainstream. Like Zimmermann, he's no revolutionary. However, we expect that he will continue to develop as a leader while providing a knowledgeable hand as we face the challenges of keeping the city accessible in this time of condo driven gentrification.

Unfortunately for Lilligren, the Zimmercompound remains in the 6th Ward, and Zimmermann and his attack spouse, Jenny Heiser, will likely engage in further shenanigins trying to hamper Lilligren's work. Heiser has a notorious vindictive streak, Doug Grow's infatuation with her cooking notwithstanding.

Regardless, the Zimmercircus is largely over. Occasionally, Z's heart will swell with pride and false hope--perhaps he can make an impassioned statement about his "core values" at the trial. Grow, Felien, and Craig Cox at the Minneapolis Observer will certainly produce some kind words on his behalf. But even if Zimmersnake slithers out of a conviction, his reputation will be shattered. No doubt some of his cult-like devotees will stick with him in the end. His buddy, convicted felon Basim Sabri, will get out prison soon enough and perhaps find a way to help Z make a living.

But the big tent will be folded up--the popcorn, the cotton candy, and the grease paint will be gone. All that will be left is the faint smell of elephant dung.

--Loosestrife