Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Former New Ulm city councilor Lisa Fischer reflected on her term on the council in an interview this weekend.

NEW ULM — The New Ulm City Council said goodbye to Ward 2 councilor Lisa Fischer last week. She officially resigned following last Tuesday’s meeting after eight years on the council.

Fischer is a New Ulm native. She has lived in the town her whole life. She raised two boys in the town and now has four grandchildren. Fischer said she would never consider anywhere else as home.

Fischer has been heavily involved in the city for years. For ten years she worked in City Hall in the City Clerk/Treasurers Office. She would later work with Public Utilities for 11 years as an Energy Services Coordinator.

Her time working with the city and PUC gave her an understanding and appreciation for how the city worked. She was also no stranger to working with New Ulm organizations. She worked with Network New Ulm, helped with the Junior Baseball Association and even ran the corn stand at Heritage Fest.

Fischer joined the City Council in May of 2012 to fill the unexpired term of Todd Olson. At the time, Fischer was working for an energy company out of Sioux Falls.

“Ever since I left my utility job here, I felt a disconnect from my community,” Fischer said. “So when that opportunity came up I thought it was another way to be connected with the community.”

Fischer was one of the two of the people interviewed by the New Ulm City Council to fill the Ward 2 vacancy. The interview happened before the regularly scheduled council meeting and she was officially appointed during the meeting.

Fischer remembered after being appointed, Ward 3 councilor Les Schultz informed her that based on how roll call votes are conducted, she would be the first person called. For eight years, Fischer was always the first member of the councilor to say “yes” or “no” on important votes. To this day she is not sure why Ward 2 was always first.

Fischer served out the remaining of Olson’s term but would get re-elected by Ward 2 for multiple terms.

“I probably would have never run for the council had this opportunity not come up,” she said. “I am not someone who puts herself out there. I am a little more reserved and I would never have been able to jump into a campaign.”

After completing Olson’s term, Fischer was elected to multiple terms. Each election she ran unopposed for the Ward 2 seat.

Fischer said her early days on the city council were not too difficult. She already knew how the city government worked through her previous jobs. Specifically, she was well versed in the budgeting process.

“I think the hardest thing, because I am so reserved, was making comments,” she said. Fischer said this was something she struggled with throughout her time on the council, but as she gained confidence commenting became easier. She found that if she had a question during meetings, it was a good idea to ask because likely other people had the same question. As a whole, the council takes great effort to get all the information out during a meeting.

“I wanted people to know there was a process,” she said.

Fischer was appreciative of the city’s staff and the council’s professionalism. There were no dumb questions and people were respectful of differing opinions.

Several major issues came before the council during Fischer’s time. Fischer was on the council a month before the controversy surrounding Chammy the Horse brought statewide attention to New Ulm.

“That was a very personal thing for a lot of people who grew up around there and walked by that horse as a kid,” she said. The most challenging decisions always revolved around the personal feelings of citizens. A few years ago, the city allowed permits for owning chickens in city limits, which was also personal for many in the city.

Fischer said the budget is a struggle every year because it affects the taxpayers. Her goal is to be on the conservative side of taxes, but the city needs to be progressive. With these struggles, she relies on staff to bring a workable plan before the council.

Fischer was involved with the Reinvest in New Ulm (RENU) projects, even serving on project subcommittees but she did not find RENU controversial. The public support for the projects was strong. The hardest part was fitting them into the budget.

One of the biggest issues was more recent. The split decision to allow the State Amateur Baseball Tournaments to play in New Ulm, followed by the decision to rescind it, was difficult.

“People are concerned about their health and the economy and everything that plays into that,” she said. Fischer initially voted in favor of allowing the tournaments. She had attended baseball games early in the summer and had a higher comfort level with the sporting events.

“I really felt that event could be done,” she said. “However after I walked out of that meeting, I was torn. I don’t think there was any right or wrong answer. It could have gone either way, but the public outcry to not have it was that strong.”

The decision to rescind the tournaments was due to strong opposition from the public. She received more calls about this decision than any other.

“That was probably one of the decisions that I’ve lost the most sleepover,” Fischer said.

Fischer said when first joining the council she had no specific agenda or goals she wanted to champion, but in the last few years, she has developed strong feelings on daycare.

“I think one of the challenges in our community is a daycare,” she said. “I have expressed that at many different meetings. Let’s not forget about this issue. That I think is something I would like to see taken on by the city in the next few years.”

Fischer will not be able to directly address these issues with the council as she officially resigned Wednesday, October 7. Last Tuesday’s council meeting was her last. Her resignation from the council was sudden and a shock to many. Fischer acknowledged that came as shock to her as well. She had intended to continue with the council, but a conflict of interest forced Fischer to resign.

In section 24 of New Ulm’s City Character prohibits anyone with any member of the city council, or immediate family, from holding a paid municipal office or employment. Fischer has a son that is employed with the New Ulm Street Department. This means by city code Fischer would need to resign or her son would need to quit.

This regulation in the city code was unknown to most people in the city. This is not a regulation in every Minnesota city charter and other councilors had family work for the city without anyone noticing it went against code.

Fischer said she appreciated how City Manager Chris Dalton and City Attorney Roger Hippert handled the situation. The two were considerate of the situation and let her decide on what to do. She said the ultimate decision was a no-brainer. She resigned rather than force her son out of a job.

Fischer has maintained a positive outlook. She enjoyed her time on the council but is okay leaving it. Fischer said she did not want to fight the city on the issue. She believed it would not be in New Ulm’s best interest. At the same time, Fischer believed the city could change the charter to at least cross-reference new members to the council to prevent this problem from happening in the future.

With Ward 2 now vacant, the city will need to appoint a new councilor. The city is taking applications from those interested in serving. Fischer is excited to see who will fill her seat but is not recommending anyone to replace her. She said taking on public office is a personal decision and she wanted to stay neutral, though she would encourage anyone interested to apply.

Now a former city councilor, Fischer is not sure what she will do with her free time but believes she will be attending more sporting events. Her grandkids are getting old enough to start sports and all four live in the area.

Fischer was grateful for all the goodwill she has received. She said, “People have been very nice to me and I appreciate their support through this.”

Asked what advice she would give her success, she said “trust your staff, listen to your citizens and then make the best choice you can.”