Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Personality of the Month
December 2011

Leon Zimmerman

Leon Zimmerman, a member of harness racing’s Communicators Hall of Fame who has for the last two years spearheaded a committee to bring the By-Laws of the U.S. Harness Writers Association up to “21st-century code,” has been selected as USHWA’s Member of the Year for 2011. .

Leon Zimmerman

Zimmerman has dedicated his life to harness racing. The reknowned writer and publicist was elected into the National Harness Racing Hall of Fame in August of 2008

Zimmerman is a 45-year veteran of the Trenton (NJ) State House in “day jobs” as award-winning journalist and innovative director of public relations for the New Jersey Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association. He has time and again shown his devotion to USHWA, including a two-year stint as the organization’s president and serving as the co-chair of the organization’s annual awards dinner three times.

Zimmerman has also plied his wares as a public relations consultant and has served as the editor of the New Jersey Standardbred Magazine and of the SBOA-NJ's Pacesetter newsletter. His writing, speeches and legislative testimony helped lead to the passage of legislation that created the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the Meadowlands Racetrack. He has also served as the public relations and advertising consultant for the New Jersey Sires Stakes Program.

In 1994 Zimmerman pursuaded then New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman to visit a New Jersey training center to jog one of his horses and later also convinced her to drive in a celebrity race at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, NJ. There, she raced one of Zimmerman's pacers against another driven by NJ Secretary of Agriculture Arthur R. Brown, Jr. When Brown won the race, Zimmerman convinced the Governor to ask for a rematch at The Meadowlands, which she did, and won the race the following year. Zimmerman also pursuaded other members of the New Jersey legislature to participate in celebrity races, with great success.

Zimmerman has been on the State Capitol scene in Trenton for 40 years, and as one of the deans of the lobbying corps, is considered by NJ State officials as a major voice of the horse racing industry in New Jersey.

He has also been a leader among his peers, spearheading the effort that led to the creation of the New Jersey Chapter of the USHWA and served as the group's president for the first three years. From there he went on to serve as the national president and was a receipient of the USHWA Member of the Year award. As well he's been active in the North American Harness Publicists Association and received their Golden Pen Award.

In addition, he has been very active as a horse owner--keeping pacers and trotters--first with East Coast conditioner Paul Consol and in later years with Tom Malibashka and Tom Fanning in New Jersey, and with Kim Rinker in Chicago.