Minneapolis City Council
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The Minneapolis City Council is the governing body of the City of Minneapolis. The City Council is composed of 13 single member districts, called wards. Barbara Johnson (Democratic-Farmer-Labor [or DFL], Ward 4) is president of the council. The council is dominated by members of the DFL Party with 12 members. The Green Party has one member. The city has never had more than 13 wards, but at one time there were three representatives from each area, for a total of 39 city council members. The council assumed its current size in the 1950s. Because of a quirk in the election cycle, 2005 marks the first Council races since post-2000-Census redistricting. There were no Republican candidates for either Mayor or any City Council post in the 2005 election, however one Republican ran for the Library Board.
The council elected in 2005, and which took office in January 2006, is composed of:
| Ward | member | party |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paul Ostrow | DFL |
| 2nd | Cam Gordon | Green |
| 3rd | Diane Hofstede | DFL |
| 4th | Barbara Johnson (President) | DFL |
| 5th | Don Samuels | DFL |
| 6th | Robert Lilligren (Vice President) | DFL |
| 7th | Lisa Goodman | DFL |
| 8th | Elizabeth Glidden | DFL |
| 9th | Gary Schiff | DFL |
| 10th | Ralph Remington | DFL |
| 11th | Scott Benson (Council Majority Leader) | DFL |
| 12th | Sandy Colvin Roy | DFL |
| 13th | Betsy Hodges | DFL |
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[edit] Council Member corruption
in July 2001 Brian Herron (DFL) pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion. He admitted accepting a $10,000 bribe from a business owner who faced numerous health and safety inspections violations. [1] Herron served a one year sentence in federal prison.[2]
On November 21, 2002 10 year Council Member Joe Biernat was convicted of five federal felony charges. one count of embezzlement , three counts of mail fraud, and one count of making a false statement. [3] Biernat was found not guilty on extortion and conspiracy to extort charges.[4]
In September 2005 Green Party Council Member Dean Zimmermann was served with a federal search warrant to his home by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The affidavit attached to the warrant revealed that the FBI has Zimmerman on video and audiotape accepting bribes for a zoning change.[5] Zimmermann subsequently lost his re-election campaign, and was convicted in federal court on three counts of accepting cash from a developer and found not guilty of soliciting property from people with business with the city.
[edit] References
- ^ City council member Brian Herron's disgrace left a vacuum in his Minneapolis district. City Pages (October 10, 2001). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Feds Indict Minneapolis City Councilman & Union Boss. UNION CORRUPTION UPDATE. National Legal and Policy Center (April 29, 2002). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Criminal Actions 2002. U.S. Department of Labor (05/01/06). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Brandt Williams (November 21, 2002). Minneapolis councilman convicted on five fraud charges. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ FBI says it has Zimmermann on tape accepting bribe
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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