Greens also run for City Council

Those who live in the 6th Ward might be familiar with spotting Councilmember Zimmermann, riding through the neighborhood streets on his bike, outfitted with “Vote Zimmermann” signs.

Zimmermann is devoted to his daily bike rides through the ward, not only because of his dedication to alternative modes of transportation, but also because his rides bring him closer to his constituents.

“I bicycle for a number of reasons, not the least of which is it saves me a lot of money and I contribute fewer pounds of pollution in the biosphere. But it does actually provide me a lot of access to my constituents. They see me on the street and yell, ‘Hey Zimmermann’ so I go over and talk with them about what problems they see in the city. So it definitely puts me in closer contact with my constituents.”

Public transportation and reduced dependency on automobiles are two beliefs that Zimmermann has remained dedicated to throughout his time spent on the City Council and while serving two terms on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

“When I first ran for the Minneapolis Park Board 12 years ago, I promised to make it as easy to bike to work as to drive in the city of Minneapolis,” said Zimmermann, who sees this promise now as a reality.

Zimmermann also bikes regularly with the Critical Mass—a group that meets the last Friday of every month to ride en masse through the city streets, promoting biking as a viable transportation option. In the spring of 2002 Zimmermann used his position to help ease relations between city police and the group after an altercation in which members were arrested and had their bikes confiscated.
Zimmermann’s dedication to both his position, as well as to the Green Party, goes back to his lifelong interest in politics that started as early as junior high school.
“I’ve always had this driving force in me that it’s important for me to leave the planet in a better condition than I found it,” he said.

This force led Zimmermann to become involved in the civil rights movement as a teenager, and then later in Vietnam War protests.

“When the opportunity came for me to run for political office, I saw it as a place for me to create social and environmental justice more effectively.”

Zimmermann became acquainted with the Green Party in 1995, and in his 10 years in office has seen it grow exponentially despite many misconceptions the public has towards the party.

“Of course there will always be misconceptions about anything that’s public. A lot of people are hesitant to support new things, that’s always true. Some people will never be the first one to do anything. The political system in this country puts up a winner-takes-all system, which means people don’t want to vote for something that lets the worst possible guy get elected. To a certain extent it makes it harder for any third party to be successful. We really have a system that forces us to vote for the lesser of two evils.”

Zimmermann, however, is confident about those misconceptions changing as the party achieves more and more success.

“We are the only political party that is growing in this country. We have elected members on the City Council and on the Park Board, and we expect to increase those numbers,” says Zimmermann.

Like many of his fellow Greens, Zimmermann spent years working within the DFL, putting time in on both Rep. Karen Clark and Sen. Paul Wellstone’s campaigns.

“I just grew weary that they [the DFL] were never going to be a party that would stand up for the issues they told people they were standing for. They continued to nominate safe candidates. I grew tired of all of that. I certainly have found a better way to change things within the Green Party.”

Zimmermann has used the Green Party in the past few years as a means to discuss his plans for improving and promoting the public transportation options within the city. One plan Zimmermann has discussed with his fellow Greens is the Personal Rapid Transit system (PRT). Zimmermann says PRT doesn’t have the same problems as other public transportation, in that it’s able to go to more specific locations and riders don’t have limited times to catch it.

“It’s there waiting for you when you’re ready to go, and it goes directly to where you’re going.”

Because of the eight years he spent serving on the Park Board, Zimmermann said that few surprises awaited him when he took on the role of councilmember. He was surprised, however, about the feelings he developed toward small business owners within his ward.

“Probably the thing that most surprised me is that I’d become an advocate and defendant for small business people. When you’re dealing with a big city like Minneapolis, the bureaucracy has a tendency not to be very understanding of people caught in the nuances of how things are applied. We need to find a way to enforce policy in a way that doesn’t run roughshod over them.”

Come September 13, the residents of the 6th Ward will take the first step toward deciding whether Zimmermann will continue to make things easier for small business owners and bicyclists alike.

DAVE BICKING: 9th Ward

by Brian Kaller

This is Dave Bicking’s first time as a political candidate, but he has been a political activist for almost 40 years—as a labor organizer, peace demonstrator, conservation advocate and small business owner. Bicking, who has owned an auto repair shop in the 9th Ward for 13 years, said the stadium issue was the catalyst for his City Council run.

“When I went to testify at the Hennepin County public hearing, there was a long line of stadium supporters,” Bicking said. “Most represented businesses or organizations that would benefit financially—though none of them indicated an interest in paying part of the cost. What is shameful is that so many of our political leaders support the stadium in spite of clear and overwhelming public opposition. The stadium debate is a symptom of a much larger issue—who are our leaders listening to?”

The push for a publicly-funded, privately-owned stadium has percolated through Twin Cities politics for 10 years, and Twins’ owner Carl Pohlad’s most recent attempt has garnered support from several prominent city leaders, including the top two contenders for mayor. Pohlad’s latest proposal would entail a $353 million donation from taxpayers, a move promoted as good for business. But Bicking believes that, while big business looks after its interest, residents must look after theirs.

“It is to be expected that large corporations will seek competitive advantage through public subsidies,” Bicking said. “That is their nature, and their responsibility to their stockholders. In a democracy, it is the responsibility of our representatives to resist, and to look out for the public interest. I will remain conscious of that responsibility while I am in office.”

Another major problem with the city government, Bicking said, is that the federal and state governments have rescinded their role of aiding the population. When politicians of both major parties have reduced taxes for the wealthy and for corporations, they have put more of a burden on city governments, and Bicking wants to see that Minneapolis retains its populist priorities.

“Resources are being squandered on war, while social services, health care and education have been cut,” Bicking said. “City government is a level at which we can and must resist.”

Bicking advocates urban development that eschews stadiums and tourist attractions in favor of poor areas and small, locally owned businesses. He also favors a living-wage ordinance and programs for affordable housing to boost the standards of the lowest-income residents.

While most politicians must respond to the will of major campaign donors, he said, Greens have some freedom from such financial pressure.

“Green Party politicians can be more independent, so that we can be more responsive to our constituents,” he said. “Unlike the Republicans or the DFL, we receive no money, and therefore no pressure, from large corporations and PACs … The Green Party is different from some other movements in our focus on electoral politics and our work on a wide range of issues. But we are not separate from other movements—we are part of them, and they are part of us, informing and motivating us as a party.”

One of the most widely-publicized city issues has been the city’s police force, and Mayor R.T. Rybak was praised for replacing the chief of police. Bicking said he favors reducing crime through social programs like youth programs, more jobs and housing, and other long-term methods, as well as strengthening the Civilian Review Board to ease tensions between the police and the poor.

Besides a Green Party endorsement, Bicking said he has received support from many DFL members and the large immigrant population in his ward, people who have come to know him through his community activism.

“I have known Dave Bicking for over three decades, during which time I have been impressed by his sense of ethics, his strong support for anti-racism and issues of social justice, and his deep understanding of environmental issues,” said health specialist David Weisberg. “He’s the only politician I have ever trusted.”