Zion Minority Caucus - Opening Statement and Q&A

This evening, I participated in a Candidate Town Hall, hosted by the Zion Minority Caucus.  The evening went very well, but we only were able to get to a couple of the selection of questions that were provided to the candidates in advance.  Presented here for your information, is the text of the questions and my written responses. Starting with my Opening Statement and answer to the first question, followed by the Closing Statement and the selection of random questions, with my answers. 

I want to thank the Zion Minority Caucus for putting this event together, and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Opening Statement

Intro Question: Please briefly introduce yourself and answer the following question: If you had to select one thing in which the city of Zion needs to improve, what would it be and what is your experience to achieve your desired outcome?

Answer. Opening Statement – New Leadership (follows)

Good Evening. I want to thank our hosts for putting this event together, and my fellow candidates for participating. I’m Christopher Fischer, candidate for Commissioner 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 in 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. This is my second campaign for the office of Commissioner, and in the two years since that election I have served 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. Where does Zion need to improve? 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 new 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. I believe that for this city to grow and prosper, we need to up our game, both locally and regionally, and work together towards making Zion a better place.  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 evening for all of us.   Thank You. Closing Statement and Questions Closing Question: If elected, what are three (specific) things you plan to do for the city of Zion. Answers: We face a lot of serious issues, so picking three is just scratching the surface. Restore Fiscal Balance to the City Budget, through necessary cuts and increased alternate revenue wherever possible. We face a $1.6 million deficit and need to deal with it quickly, because this affects the public services that we rely on.  Pursue Aggressive Economic Development by obtaining Enterprise Zone status and begin to jump start growth in our local economy.  Target the acquisition of federal funding for critical infrastructure by collaborating with Winthrop Harbor and Beach Park to develop a regional water infrastructure project, and lobby our State and Federal representatives for additional grants and funding assistance.    Conclusion Governing is more than just a checklist of tasks to be done; it’s the means by which we determine the quality of our lives in this community.  It’s also about combining aspiration with action to remake the present, and to build the future we all want.  Building the future is serious business, and we need serious people do the job. I couldn’t be more serious, and I’m ready to get to work if given the honor of being your new Commissioner. I ask for your support and your vote on April 7th. Thank You. Questions If elected, what is your strategy to lower taxes for home and business owners? Answer: 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. There are several houses and buildings that are destitute, vacant and old that needs to be cleaned or torn down. What are your plans to beautify Zion in areas that aren’t so attractive? For home properties, will you be committed to getting the health department actively involved in either, evicting these individuals or assuring they clean their property both inside and out? Answer: Enforce existing codes, firmly and fairly. The city should do what it can to help homeowners keep up their property.  The Abandoned Property Registration program I proposed two years ago has since been enacted, and is working. The greater problem are slumlords that are just taking money and damaging our community. A Rental Certification and Inspection program will help weed out the bad actors. I also proposed such a program two years ago, and we need it now. How do you plan to position the city for future economic growth, including attracting new businesses and home owners and what experience do you have to help move Zion forward economically? Answer: We need to break the current cycle of stagnation. High taxes keep new businesses away. TIF Districts can help, but I believe we need a bigger lever and that is why I propose an Enterprise Zone.  Tying the Zone to the Nuclear Storage site also provides a small measure of compensation for the burden of storing that material on our lakefront. The experience I bring to this effort is my ability to identify solutions and the actions needed to achieve them. Youth under the age of 18 make up a large majority of our city. What are your plans to create more opportunities, activities or programs that keep our youth engaged as active participants in Zion? Answer:  Commissioners also serve as Trustees for the Township, and I look forward to the opportunity to partner with Supervisor Neal to develop programs in cooperation with the School and Park Districts.  Arts and Culture programs especially, and I think we need to use new economy resources such as “Kickstarter” to raise funds to support those programs. When driving in certain neighborhoods in Zion, for example 29th and Gideon, you rarely see any campaign signs in residents’ yards. This is representative of the lack of engagement between certain parts of the city and Zion leadership. How do you plan to engage community residents in those particular neighborhoods? Answer:  This has been a concern of mine for a long time, and not just for specific parts of the community, but all of it. I even wrote about it on my blog Fischer for Zion, it’s titled A Public Hearing – An Empty House, posted on March 30, 2013. I went to a meeting at City Hall about Electric Aggregation, and I was probably the only member of the public in the audience. Since 2011 I have attended over 80 meetings of the Council, and often I can count the public attendance on one hand and have fingers left over. Self –Governance requires us as citizens to participate.  So, I plan to do what I have been doing, encouraging everyone to become involved, using every and any means I can think of. With the growing population of Zion, specifically the West side, do you support moving toward a form of government where commissioners represent specific precinct/area of town? Why or why not? Answer: The Commissioner form of government is truly outdated in many ways, so I think in the future to move to an Alderman form would be positive. To do so will require obtaining Home Rule status, either through population growth or by referendum. It is extremely apparent that in the city of Zion, the leadership does not reflect the diversity of the city. What are your plans to help diversify Zion leadership in regards to age, socioeconomic status and culture? Answer: This is another facet of the question about the lack of engagement between the public and the government.  I love the quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world; in fact it’s the only thing that ever has.”  There is another quote that I think applies here “Decisions are made by those who show up.”  If you want to see change, you need to go to the meetings, do the research, volunteer, and vote.  End.  And that is it. Election Day is just around the corner and I am doing everything I can to get the word out.  If you believe that Zion is ready for change, please give me your support and your vote on April 7th. Thank You.