Good Afternoon. I want to thank Carol Dolin and the Zion
Benton Public Library for putting this event together, and my fellow
candidates for participating. An educated
public is the lifeblood of a Democracy, and hopefully this forum will help
everyone make an informed choice at the voting booth.
New Leadership
I’m
Christopher Fischer, and to the public I offer the experience and judgment
acquired in over thirty years of professional life. For the past sixteen years I have been
employed within Human Resources at the American Medical Association, in
Chicago. I have over a decade of management experience in the Private
Security field, and I served in the U.S. Army as an Intelligence Analyst.
My wife and I moved to Zion twenty years ago, and over the
past several years I became more aware of the importance of our local
government in our lives. With this awareness came a feeling that I had a duty
to serve the public in some capacity.
After doing a lot of research, I decided that my skills and abilities
would best serve the public on the City Council.
So, I ran in my first election ever two years ago for the
office of Commissioner. Since that election I have been given opportunities
to serve the public as a Trustee on the Board of the Lake County Public Water
District, and as a member of the Steering Committee for the new Comprehensive
Development Plan.
Some of the policy proposals that I made in that election
have since been taken up by the City Council, and I would like to update you
on their status.
First, the aforementioned Comprehensive Development Plan
was part of my campaign platform after I discovered that the existing plan
had not been updated since it was passed in 1992. I proposed that the city
obtain a technical grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to
create a new plan. Wisely, the city
did so, and now Plan4Zion is underway.
As Commissioner, I will see that this plan is enacted, and not put on
a shelf.
Second, I proposed the creation of an Abandoned Property
registration program. That program has since been enacted, and is reported to
be working well in identifying the parties responsible for these properties
and holding them accountable for their maintenance.
Third, I proposed a Rental Licensing and Inspection program
to hold landlords and property management companies accountable. To ensure
that the tenants are not living in sub-standard or dangerous conditions. Also, to weed out the negligent owners, and
slumlords damaging our community. I
give credit to Commissioner Hill for bringing such a proposal to the Council
earlier this month. Hopefully, it will be adopted and implemented in the near
future, because in my opinion it has been needed for a very long time.
Now, I bring those proposals up, not to pat myself on the
back but to illustrate a quality that I believe I can offer the public, the
ability to recognize a need and propose a solution that is realistic and
practical.
With that in mind. To address the critical issues of high
property taxes and the need for economic development I have proposed that the
city apply for Enterprise Zone Status under the Illinois Enterprise Zone
Act. This status would grant us access
to special tax and regulatory incentives for businesses. New businesses will help create the revenue
needed to reduce the tax burden on homeowners. Further, I propose that the Enterprise Zone
Act be amended to include the Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in the same
criteria as an abandoned coal mine, or brownfield site, and that the zone
status should not expire until the spent fuel is removed from the
lakefront. I believe these proposals
provide practical means towards growing our local economy while helping to
reduce homeowner taxes over time, and obtaining some compensation for the
detrimental impact of the nuclear storage site in our community.
I’ve often said, “Even small governments make big
decisions.” Government exists to provide services that we cannot accomplish
as individuals. Zion is faced with
many challenges; economic, financial, environmental, and social. To meet these challenges, we need
leadership with a fresh perspective, able to respond with innovative and
creative solutions. Leadership that will act as strong advocates for our
interests at all levels of government.
As I said in my first video commentary, “This isn’t small town stuff,
this is big league stuff.” For this
city to grow and prosper, we need to up our game, play above our level, and
work together towards that goal. I’ve
done the research. I have the drive and determination. I’m ready to get to
work, for you.
I look forward to your questions, and hope that this will
be an informative afternoon for all of us.
Thank You.
(Note that in the actual delivery, I ran short of time and had to drop the last two paragraphs. Live and learn.)
Closing Statement
First I would like to thank our hosts and my fellow
candidates for participating today. Hopefully we are all the better for doing
so.
This election at its heart is a job interview, but I think
it’s much more.
Beyond education, experience, and tenure there is another
quality we look for in our leadership.
Vision.
Vision is the great driver of progress. Without vision:
Experience becomes nostalgia.
Education becomes outdated.
Without vision, complacency slowly smothers us, until,
everything, just, stops.
The families that founded this
City just over a century ago were drawn here by a vision.
They and those that followed put
their hands, hearts, and minds to the great task of making that vision a
reality.
They were building the future.
We stand on the foundations that
they laid, and now it is our turn to continue the work that can never be
completed. Because the future is always just out of reach, just over the
horizon.
This election is all about the future.
The people we elect will make decisions that will determine the future of Zion
for the next twenty years.
It’s a serious business, building
the future, and we need serious people to carry it out.
I couldn’t be more serious.
Today, I have shared some of my
vision for that future with you. If you share
that vision I ask for your support, and your vote.
Thank You.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment