Talk:Dean Zimmermann

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Two comments:

  • This external link, currently footnote 1, says Zimmermann "was briefly an O. member". The second paragraph should read In the 1970's Dean Zimmermann briefly belonged to a group called the "O"...
  • ...in which he took the side of those promoting a Marxist vision for food co-ops... Reference for this, as well as for the view advocating an ecological basis? Because he was only briefly a member, how did his taking a side impact the issue? --Mr Grant 17:36, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Footnote 2, the Olsen Memorial, sheds no light on Zimmermann or the co-ops issue.

Footnote 3, the Craig Cox book, links to an Amazon sales page. There is no research content, nor is the one unique customer review particularly helpful. A link to a full review of the book would be better. The brief review at Footnote 4 (Moscowfood) is not in depth. --Mr Grant 19:48, 6 December 2006 (UTC)


I have many comments about Dean Zimmermann, having known him since 1972. But briefly: a. As a student at University of North Dakota (I believe), he went around the upper midwest raising money and recruiting volunteers for the Freedom Rides in the early 1960s. b. He was one of the early founders (circa 1970) of one of the first food co-ops in Minneapolis, North Country Coop. He also helped start the first warehouse to service the coop system, known as People's Warehouse. In all these efforts, he was a member (albeit one of the most prominent) of collectives. c. For many years, he was the most visible proponent of coops throughout the region. Nearly every coop that was begun between 1970 and 1975 will say that his contributions were essential. d. To answer Mr. Grant, his move into the "Coop Organization" was seen by former friends as a severe blow and betrayal. The "CO" proclaimed itself as Stalinist, and dismissed the political analysis of its opponents as "hippie escapist" or "health food elitist". e. Kris Olson is cited because he assumed the mantle of advocate and organizer after Dean Z. went to the "Stalinist" side.

I can be reached at csloane@nwnexus.com

207.115.74.145 19:39, 30 March 2007 (UTC)Cliff Sloane

Your notes are wonderful. However, none of these fascinating remembrances merit inclusion in the article unless they can be referenced in the usual manner. --Mr Grant 21:43, 20 June 2007 (UTC)


[edit] PRT reference

The citation provided does not say that Zimmerman and Olson worked together to write the legislation. There seems to be an effort here to associate Olson and Zimmerman — though they both favored PRT and have spoken to each other, the implication is that there is a strong relationship between the two. A link to Zimmermann was also included on the Olson page; what is the purpose of establishing the relationship between the two? — ERcheck (talk) 00:46, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Avidor has several blogs on Zimmerman and Olson: Dump Mark Olson, Green Party Gone Bad, Minneapolis Confidential (in which he posted for a year under the sock puppet account "Ned Luddington"). He has repeatedly tried to link Zimmermann and Olson (and Michele Bachmann) through PRT:
(Many more.)
I've seen no evidence of other collaborations between Zimmermann and Olson/Bachmann. As far as I can tell their only point of intersection is PRT - which is a particularly sensitive issue for Avidor. Avidor coined the term "The Pod Squad" for this PRT collaboration.
Full disclosure: I am the author of this blog which analyzes and debunks Ken Avidor's claims. I have no interest in Minneapolis politics other than the fact that I've followed the writings of Avidor as part of my academic interest in PRT. I have no association with PRT other than intellectual curiosity. ATren 02:02, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
"a local environmentalist City Councilmember Dean Zimmermann is pushing PRT in Minneapolis..... The councilmember hopes to see more state support of Taxi 2000’s PRT design, because, he says, there is the potential for a new industry to begin in Minneapolis and because he believes it is the role of the state to attract private investors in that potential. Zimmermann has teamed up with Republican State Representative Mark Olson, who has historically opposed other forms of mass transit like light rail and commuter rail, to promote PRT. [1] I think the words "teamed up" is enough to convince anyone that they were a team.Avidor 03:01, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
The reference provided is an article in a self-described "locally grown alternative newspaper", and Avidor was a contributor to that newspaper when this article was published. In fact, Avidor himself provided the article illustration - of a PRT pod dumping snow and debris on a pedestrian. This is one of several derogatory illustrations he's produced mocking PRT. A local alternative newspaper such as this would already be a borderline reliable source, but the fact that Avidor may have collaborated on the writing of this article makes it all the more dubious as a source. ATren 03:27, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

ATE, are you the same user as "A Transportation Enthusiast" who wrote this [2]?Avidor 03:43, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, 17 months ago I lost my temper with your attempts to manupulate the PRT article. This was less than a month after I joined the project, and I have no violations since then. So, what's your point, and what is the relevance to this discussion? The issue is whether the Pulse reference is reliable. I say it isn't. ATren 04:15, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
So, an anonymous editor with an anger problem from Buffalo, NY is more reliable than a newspaper article? Also, Zimmermann never object to being described in that article as having "teamed up" with Olson. In fact, Zimmermann proudly told people he worked well with Republicans... look on his old campaign website.Avidor 12:51, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
I am not listed as a reference, so my "reliability" is irrelevant. It has nothing to do with what Zimmermann wants or doesn't want - it has to do with what is appropriate for an encyclopedia. ATren 13:00, 18 June 2007 (UTC)