Commissioner Fischer

Three years ago after I was elected, I stopped by the City Clerk’s office to fill out some paperwork and set up my email account. I sat down at Diane Burkemper’s computer, and I noted that most the letters on the keyboard had been completely worn off.   Diane said that they had been making due with what they had for so long, they were just used to touch-typing all the time. Not long after, when Director Ron Colangelo took me on a tour of the Public Works facility he showed me some of the trucks that have been in service for so long that the baseboards were rusting out. In one of my discussions with Ray Roberts, who took over as Public Works Director upon Ron’s retirement, he showed me the GIS (Geographic Information System) that is used to map the city’s infrastructure like water mains, sanitary lines, and storm sewers. The system is also used to document when repairs are made, but the software is so old it cannot be updated and transferring the data to...

At this evening's meeting of the Zion City Council, there was a discussion regarding the possible prohibition of sales of recreational cannabis.  The following is the text of my statement on the subject, as written. The most frequent request I have received from homeowners has been to find a way to lower their taxes. To that end, I have consistently advocated every effort to obtain; alternative revenue, grants, matching funds, and nuclear storage compensation. I have also been a strong proponent for economic development through the establishment of TIF districts and an Enterprise Zone. All of these efforts have the primary objective of restoring balance to the city’s finances, reducing the city’s portion of the tax levy, and ultimately to provide direct tax relief to homeowners. I believe that all members of this Council share this goal. The city budget ideally is a balance between operational costs and available revenue. As stewards of the public trust we are regularly implore...

This weekend I intended to write up an essay covering the infrastructure needs of the city that were presented at a hearing regarding a state capitol bill that was held on May 3rd. However. Something else has been occupying my mind these past few weeks. Perhaps it is that this month marks the fourth anniversary of my mother’s passing that has me in an introspective mood, or something else. My wife and I are veterans, Army proud, both of us were Intelligence Analysts who bore witness to the final stages of the Cold War. Whatever you do, don’t dismiss or underestimate that long twilight struggle that lasted almost 50 years. The danger was real, and lives were lost, often in places and circumstances where they couldn’t be acknowledged until many years had passed. I’ve written before about one of those stories in a blog I wrote a few years ago; Memorial Day Remembrance: The Last Casualty of the Cold War .  Previous to those events my wife did a tour of duty at the Berlin Field Sta...

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 ...