Photo: CBS 12
The race for District 5 on the Palm Beach County Commission is in our Election Spotlight.
Republican candidate John Fischer is challenging Democrat incumbent Commissioner and currently Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Sachs.
Fischer is a retired firefighter who spent nearly 30 years with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and retired as a captain, serving in District 5.
He tells us that concerns about public safety are what sparked him to run for the seat.
"I live on a very dangerous stretch of Lyons Road, just south of Glades Road in west Boca Raton. It's a dangerous 'S' turn and there's been crashes in that intersection where my community is over the years. And we have been butting our heads up against the wall with the county to get something done to improve the traffic safety at the entrances to our communities."
He claims that Sachs had promised to make the intersection safer but things never improved until he got into the race.
"We've got permanent radar signs up, there's more reflectors, there's new striping on the road and something's getting done. But it took that, it took me throwing my hat into the ring."
Fischer also complains about what he considers to be waste in the county budget.
Sachs is an attorney who served 10 years in the state Legislature before being elected to the County Commission four years ago. She touts her vote to lower the millage rate last year.
"First of all, keeping our costs low is very important to me because I didn't come to the state of Florida with a lot of money, I didn't grow up with a lot of money. So I know that every time I go to Publix, it gets more and more expensive."
During her term in office, the Commission has moved from a Democrat majority to a Republican majority, but Sachs says there were no noticeable changes as to how the Commission has operated.
"What we need is seven good, involved, serious citizens to serve as commissioners. Whatever your political party may be is something you'll leave at the door."
Hear more from both candidates on the issues, including homelessness and affordable housing. Just listen to the audio players above.