With Justin Fischer,
it’s Never say Never
 

Justin Fischer has the distinction of being the youngest feature in the history of ‘Profile Novi.’

At 23, he also holds the distinction of being the youngest member of Novi’s Zoning Board of Appeals. In fact, from April 2005 to April 2006, he even served as Chairman of the Board. Since stepping down as Chairman, he is working harder than ever and is in the midst of a 3-year appointment. Will he ever be Chairman again? “Never say Never,” Fischer exclaims.

A 2001 graduate of Novi HS, he participated in football in High School, and in his senior year, he even helped out Coach Akouri with the Freshman team. He was also a Member of DECA, an organization that competes in Business and Marketing events. His successes in that endeavor enabled him to qualify for national competition on two separate occasions, traveling to Louisville, Kentucky and Anaheim, California.

After high school, he matriculated at Michigan State University, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. His full-time position at the Ford Motor Company working in Fixed Assets is his first job out of college.

But it was in high school that he developed a genuine interest in government, primarily however in national issues. In college, he interned with Nancy Cassis, and during that time he learned how important the ramifications of political decisions on the state level could be.

During this tenure, he met Novi Mayor Lou Csordas, and he became ingrained with local Novi City Government. He realized then that local decisions were also important and impactful on citizens.

He applied for a position with the Zoning Board in December 2003, and was appointed in January 2004. Simply put, the Zoning Board allows for a variance from certain ordinances when it’s considered unreasonable to adhere to an ordinance in a specific situation.

In other words, Justin Fischer and his team swing into action when an entity is seeking establishment and the particular land or location that’s been selected was not originally zoned for that specific purpose.

At this point an appeal can be filed with the Zoning Board for re-consideration. Examples could involve over-sized signage, residential additions, and decks too close to lot-lines, etc. In fact during the course of a year the Zoning Board stays very busy as they receive almost 200 applications annually and typically approve about 60% of them.

Such experience is invaluable for a 23 year-old, and admittedly Fischer says, “ I love taking on these challenges and I am learning so much.”

He hopes to parlay this real life, hands-on education into future personal and business endeavors and at the end of the day, his ultimate goal is to become a “very well-rounded person.”

When asked about his future he is non-committal, but only in the sense he is very open-minded about his options. “Never say never,” is a common response as he emphasizes, “I am enjoying my tenure on the Zoning Board but I take it one-day-at-a-time.”

His appointment runs out in December 2009, and he’s not 100% sure what he will do next. He most likely will still be, however, the youngest member in Novi government, and a person with a very bright future.

Perhaps someday he’ll run for Mayor, Governor, or President?

Who knows?

I’d ask him, but he’d probably say, “Never say Never.”