Candidate Profile: Fischer For Village Of Waukesha President

WAUKESHA, WI—The 2021 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate seats and local government and school boards.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Brian Tom Fischer who is currently the Village President wants to be re-elected.

Age (as of Election Day)

72

Position Sought

Village Of Waukesha President

Party Affiliation

None (I am a fiscal and social conservative.)

Family

Eileen (Wife)
Connor (Adult Son)
Brennen (Adult Son)
Kendra (Adult Daughter)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Architecture (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Master of Science in Architectural Engineering (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Occupation

Registered Architect (45 Years)
Registered Professional Engineer (44 Years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Plan Commission - Village (former Town) of Waukesha (Current)
Town Chairman - Town of Waukesha (Previous)
Village President -Village of Waukesha (Current)

Campaign website

Brian Fischer for President

Why are you seeking elective office?

I have the desire, the experience, the institutional knowledge, the temperament, the time and the vision to continue to lead the Village of Waukesha.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue is to provide sleeping quarters for our Fire Department which will reduce our average response time which is currently way to long (17.2 minutes). In December, 2017, taxpayers received "A Message from the Town Board ..." along with their tax bills informing them that "... an addition to the fire department (sleeping quarters) ..." had been approved and was forthcoming. But less that a month later, my opponent, Michael Doerr, and all of the other members of Town Board reniged and refused to proceed. Intransigence prevailed. Members of the Fire Department and many residents are frustrated. It's time to get off the dime.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Village Trustees Bob Stigler, David German and Thomas Kulinski are supporting me in my bid to be re-elected to the position of Village President. Our motto is "Continuing to Work TOGETHER of the Village of Waukesha". They are not supporting my opponent, Trustee Michael Doerr.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

N/A

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Generally, I think local officials performed well. While not intending to sound self-congratulatory, I believe that the Village of Waukesha, under my leadership, also performed well.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

If re-elected, I intend to provide the leadership and vision which will be necessary to build a consensus among residents and elected officials so we can move ahead with projects which should have been undertaken several years ago. In addition to sleeping quarters to support and sustain our volunteer Fire Department, we need a facility to store road salt at the Village Hall Complex, and additional garage space for our trucks and equipment which are not under roof. If our trucks remain outdoors, they cannot be pre-loaded with road salt and their years of anticipated, useful service life are reduced. Inefficiency costs us time and money and impacts negatively on the quality and timeliness of service which we deliver.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

On my watch as the Town Chairman, the Town of Waukesha succeeded in the historic, year-long effort to incorporate as a village. On May 5, 2020, nearly 92% of us voted "yes" in the referendum to incorporate. I am not a "chest thumper" by nature, but I believe that I deserve a lot of credit for the leadership, tenacity, vision and voice that I provided to the "team effort". Many others (elected officials and staff) deserve credit, too.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm a "penny pincher". My wife, Eileen, provides balance to my frugality. She spends plenty of money (she calls it "shopping") to keep the economy going. Fiscal restraint, limited government, and limited services go hand-in-hand. Such is the long and proud history of the Village (former Town) of Waukesha since it was founded in 1842. There is no need to change course now.