Farheen Hakeem has announced that she will run as the Green Party's candidate
for Neva Walker's MN House seat (16B).
Nearly a year ago, Farheen Hakeem signed a letter of support for Gary Dean
Zimmermann.
These are some statements from that letter posted by Dave Bicking on David
Shove's Progressive Calendar:
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"We are convinced that Dean is innocent of the crime of bribery"
"we stand in support of an honest man"
"We miss Dean's leadership on the Minneapolis City
Council."
"Dean Zimmermann is a political prisoner"
http://lists.cohousing.org/pipermail/mn-prog-events/msg00441.html
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Farheen Hakeem also has Zimmermann's picture on this page of her campaign
website:
"http://farheenhakeem.org/node/12
On the same page is this statement by Farheen Hakeem:
"Farheen also finds it to be important that the Green Party has little
involvement with corporate corruption and greed."
This is how the U.S. 8th Circuit Court summarized the case against Zimmermann
when they unanimously upheld the jury's verdict last month:
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STATEMENT OF THE CASE
On January 18, 2006, a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Minnesota
returned a four-count indictment against the
defendant, former Minneapolis City Councilman Gary Dean Zimmermann. The grand
jury alleged in each of the four counts that Zimmermann violated Title 18,
United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(B), by knowingly and corruptly soliciting
something of value with intent to be influenced or rewarded in connection with
any business, transaction or series of transactions with the government of the
City of Minneapolis. Counts 1, 2, and 3 pertained to $5,000, $1,200, and $1,000
cash payments, respectively, that Zimmermann accepted from a real estate
developer, Gary Carlson, in June and August of 2005. Count 4 pertained to
Zimmermann’s request made to a separate developer in 2004 for the construction,
at no charge to him, of a retaining wall.</blockquote></i>
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Zimmermann was convicted on the first three counts and sentenced 30 years in a
federal correctional facility.
I had an opportunity to talk with the chief witness in the trial, Gary Carlson
before the holidays. You can watch the videotaped interview on You Tube:
I live in MN House District 61B. I emailed Farheen Hakeem for a statement about
her views on Zimmermann... I have not received an answer.
Read more about the Zimmermann investigation and trial at the Minneapolis
Confidential blog:
http://www.minneapolisconfidential.blogspot.com
Ken Avidor
Kingfield