Commissioner Fischer

The Collapse On New Year's Day, I received a call from Director Roberts telling me that there had been a sanitary sewer line collapse in the 3100 block between Bethel Boulevard and Eschol Avenue on New Year’s Eve. Attempts to clear the blockage from the line had been unsuccessful, and with the line at a depth greater than the Public Works equipment could dig, he requested my authorization to bring in a contractor after the holiday to conduct an emergency repair, which I granted. In the meantime Water Department crews were pumping out the system from the adjacent manhole and diverting it to another sanitary line a half-block away. So, I spent a few hours of New Year’s Day out on the site with Director Roberts and the Water Department Crew while they pumped out the backup in the sanitary system. It is safe to say that’s not exactly the most pleasant way to spend a holiday for anyone. Pumping out the sanitary sewer, New Year's Day     Once Campanella & Sons, our ...

Map of the Pick-Up Zones It is that time of year, the leaves are finally starting to fall, and all of us homeowners are scrambling to get rid of the pesky things before winter. Just to quickly review the City’s leaf collection program; the city has contracted with our waste hauler Advanced Disposal to operate a vacuum truck and crew to pick up leaves that have been raked to the public parkway in front of residences. This is a service paid for as part of the quarterly water, sanitary, and garbage bill each residence receives, it is not part of our property tax bill. The program operates for four weeks, and may be paused or extended due to weather conditions. Residents can also bag their leaves and place them where their trash is picked up. Advanced will collect bagged yard waste through November 30th. Any citywide service generates a number of comments or concerns, some of which I have read on social media, and rather than spending a great deal of time answering these individually, ...

Reading is Fundamental Advice for Prospective Candidates It’s election season again, and I am not talking about the midterm election coming up in November, but rather the next Consolidated General Election coming up in April 2019.  The Consolidated General is the election for local municipal offices, and this time around there will be two of the Commissioner seats and the Mayor on the ballot for Zion, all for four year terms. I believe that local government has more direct impact on our daily lives than anything that happens in Springfield or even D.C., and candidates should exhibit that sense of gravitas, especially at the city or township level.   Now, I will not be on the ballot in April, as the terms for City Commissioners are staggered, with two of the seats going up for election every two years. To be honest, I am glad for the break after running in three consecutive elections; 2013, 2015, and finally 2017 when I won my current seat.  I had never r...

This summer, the City of Zion has been working with the Citizens United Behind Zion (CUBZ) committee in setting up neighborhood clean up days. Picking a section of the city and gathering some volunteers, city staff, and elected officials like myself to spend a Saturday morning picking up the litter along the public streets and alleyways. This being the age of Social media, the event is promoted online, and pictures and videos are posted and shared to the public, often in real time. That is the world we live in now, and the other part of that world are the comments from the readers of those postings. I have read some comments about yesterday’s event and the previous one too, and there are some questions that deserve a more in-depth response than a simple reply on a comment thread. Rather than getting tangled in the verbal weeds, I’ll briefly paraphrase the key points. ‘Thank you! Great job!’ Which needs no response other than an appreciative thumbs up, however there are other ...

First off I must apologize, when I created this blog my intention was to post regularly about what I’ve learned about my duties as Commissioner of Public Works, Township Trustee, and being on the board of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO). Best laid plans, and so on Realizing that I had let this fall by the wayside, I have been working on an annual review to coincide with the completion of my first year in office. However, as I have been following comments on local Facebook community sites such as We Love Zion, and Zion Community Forum I feel that there is a need to dispel some common misconceptions that are being passed around. To begin, let me say that some of my answers will probably disappoint some people and not satisfy others, but I will be as factual and correct as I am able. I am going to paraphrase the topic rather than taking a direct quote or attributing it to a specific person. Claim: Taxpayers are funding two pensions for Commissioners / Trustees. ...

An actual conversation with my brother John when I told him I was running for office a couple of years ago. John: What are you running for again? Me: City Commissioner. John: Commissioner, you mean like Commissioner Gordon? Me: (Pause) Yeah, pretty much like that. Both: (Laughter) That exchange, which I have had with a number of people over the years, sums up the popular understanding of a commissioner; the image of Police Commissioner Jim Gordon sending out the Bat Signal and hanging out with the Dark Knight on a rooftop. Commissioner Gordon and Friend (DC Comics)   Which is about a cool as you can get, you have to admit. The reality is not nearly as dramatic, but it has it's interesting points.  First, a little history from Wikipedia: This form of government originated in  Galveston, Texas  as a response to the  Galveston Hurricane of 1900 , mainly for the reason that extra support was needed in certain areas. After its constitutionali...