Bradley Isaac Zimmerman (b. January 2, 1960) is a Georgeland politician who is the 21st Chief Minister of Scoita, appointed to the position on March 8, 2007. Zimmerman was formerly the Deputy Chief Minister to his predecessor, Mick Pearson, who resigned to run for Governor of Scoita.

Early LifeEdit

Zimmerman was born in Sergiocitta, Bradmarch to a Jewish mother and a Roman Catholic father; he is Jewish by faith. His parents were active Conservative members; his father, Joseph Zimmerman, was a minister in the Bradmarch state government from 1970 until 1973, when he died of a heart attack. In 1974, Zimmerman and his mother moved to Aliceport, Scoita, where they both reside to this day.
Zimmerman attended the University of Scoita where he graduated in 1982 with a legal degree. He was admitted to the Bar in 1985 and began a career as a barrister.

Political CareerEdit

Zimmerman was selected as the Tory candidate for the Aliceport seat in the Scoitan legislature at the state election of 1992. He was elected, and has held the seat continuously since then. In 1996, when the Conservatives swept to power under John Sutherland, Zimmerman was appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary. He became Minister for Roads and Transport in 2002.
In 2004, with Mick Pearson's replacement of Sutherland as Chief Minister, Zimmerman was promoted to the important position of Minister for Police. He gained a reputation as a hard-liner against drug offenders and juvenile offenders, and caused controversy with his suggestion that young offenders be incarcerated in other states and banned from re-entry upon their release in a bid to stop re-offending. Nonetheless, after the 2005 election, which the Tories won, Zimmerman was elected unanimously by the party room to become the new Deputy Chief Minister, following the retirement of Vaughn Lewis. He was also appointed as Minister for Housing, Works and Transport.

Chief MinisterEdit

On March 8, 2007, Pearson stepped down as Chief Minister to concentrate on his campaign to succeed Patrick Gunning as Governor of Scoita. In the ballot among the 52 Conservative legislators to replace him, Zimmerman was elected with 29 votes over Paul Capuccio, the Attorney General, who had only 23 votes. He was immediately appointed as the state's 21st Chief Minister by Governor Gunning.
Zimmerman is the first Jewish state Chief Minister. He is also the first non-Catholic to be Chief Minister of Scoita, and the first Chief Minister of any state to profess a faith other than Christianity (excluding agnosticism and athiesm). This is perhaps more notable than it would otherwise be because Scoita is heavily Catholic, and a perception has existed for decades that only a Catholic could ever hope to lead the state.
In January 2008, Zimmerman faced his first serious challenge. The contraversial Justice Act, a bill to institute a series of harsh penalties and greater police powers, particularly against terror suspects and juveniles, was passed by the state legislature. However, newly-elected Governor Don Mendez refused to sign the bill. After a stand-off between the Chief Minister and the Governor, Zimmerman called a general election for February 8. In the press conference announcing the election (which Mendez was required to approve), Zimmerman stated that if the Conservatives were re-elected he would request the Governor sign the legislation or resign.

Zimmerman ministry (2007-)Edit

• Chief Minister, Attorney General and Minister for Police: Brad Zimmerman
• Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Welfare and Human Services: Paula Galvin
• Treasurer: John Grainger
• Minister for Finance: Paul Cappucio
• Minister for Industry, Business & Consumer Affairs: Dianne Needham
• Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Housing, Works & Transport: Terry Boone
• Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Trust: Hugh Haggart
• Minister for the Arts, Sport, Tourism & Youth Affairs: Roy Stephen
• Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Federal Relations and Local Government: J.T. Whitfield
• Minister for Education: Sean Johnson
• Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources: Michael O’Hara
• Special Minister of State: Edwina DiStasi