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Central Point council throws Fischer off parks panel By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - Despite the lack of involvement that led the City Council to recruit high school students to fill Parks Commission seats earlier this year, council members did not hesitate to refuse the reappointment of former Councilwoman Carol Fischer. "She does not have the best interest of the city at heart. She's harmful and we are not obligated to reappoint her," Councilwoman Donna Higginbotham said. Higginbotham and other council members credited the council's refusal to reappoint Fischer to her involvement in issues they say will hurt the city - most recently an initiative measure that would seek voter approval for all new fees and fee increases. If approved, the measure would require double majority approval on all new and increased fees and would nullify fee changes made since the petition's May filing date. "She may actually think she's protecting the people but it's difficult to explain anything to her," Higginbotham said. "She says she is in favor of growth but she stops every attempt of the city to figure out how to pay for it. She says she's trying to make things easier but she makes them harder. She doesn't think about all the money those elections will cost the city." But Fischer's husband, Willie, argued that his wife was not alone in demanding more accountability, pointing to the 1,080 voter signatures that placed the measure on the March ballot. "If there are that many signatures then obviously she isn't the only one who feels like there are some problems," he said. Carol Fischer agreed. "Times are already hard and with everything happening such as layoffs and cutbacks and now the school and library bonds to pay for, this is not the time to spend foolishly," she said. "All I'd really want to say is my term was up anyway and I'm still going to be looking out for the people that live in the city." Mayor Bill Walton said last month that his main concern was that supporters of the initiative did not understand the potential of the initiative to cripple planning and building departments who, by law, are required to be self-sustaining. Higginbotham agreed, adding that the double majority requirement would make fee increases virtually impossible. "If that passes I don't think we'll ever get another fee raise or new fee passed and the way our town is growing it takes more imagination than it does initiative to get funding sources," she said. "But even if it weren't for the initiative I wouldn't have voted for her. She's very ineffective and she doesn't contribute anything intelligent. She's chairman of the board at the senior center, too, and they are constantly having problems. I blame that directly on her and her influence." Willie Fischer said vindictiveness kept his wife from reappointment to the Parks Commission. "We're just trying to keep them honest. They complained about some of the signatures not belonging to registered voters, but even if they aren't voters, they're taxpayers. They don't like anyone with a different opinion but at least we've had their hands tied since May." Voters will decide on the initiative petition March 12. The city plans to hold informational meetings to answer voter's questions before the election. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.