WASHINGTON – Bob Fischer said he’s seen plenty of highs and lows during his decades working in the place in the Capitol where Democratic House members go to unwind and learn about legislation while they wait for votes on the floor.
But a high definitely came last Thursday, as party leaders joined Rep. Tim Kennedy of Buffalo to honor Fischer, the manager of the House Democratic Cloakroom, in advance of his retirement on Sept. 30.
And the greatest honor of all will be unfurled on the South Buffalo street where Fischer grew up. There, Dunsmore Street will now also be known as “Bob Fischer Way.”
“I’m still in a bit of a blur, going: ‘What just hit me?’ ” Fischer, 60, said in an interview the morning after Thursday’s ceremony.
What hit Fischer was a retirement lovefest.
“He has been a trusted adviser, a problem-solver, a calm presence during intense moments, a resource for countless members who rely on him, and he was a valued part of my leadership team,” said House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi of California.
“He’s the one who’s been there day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year for decades, with a steady hand, with patience, expertise and professionalism,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn. “Even through the terror and chaos of Jan. 6, Bob was a stable and comforting presence looking out for us and making sure we were able to be evacuated safely. Thank you, Bob.”
“I’ll always remember Bob and the way he treated me when I first arrived in Congress,” said Kennedy, a Buffalo Democrat. “He’s become a very close friend. Coming in after a special election without the benefit of a freshman orientation, I’d have been very lost, but there was Bob Fisher. Unsolicited, Bob stood with me on the House floor and explained to me everything I needed to know about how this place worked.”
It seems like plenty of House Democrats share similar warm thoughts about Fischer, given that dozens of them crowded into the Capitol’s Rayburn Room to munch on appetizers, down lemonade and mingle with his friends and family before the tributes started Thursday afternoon.
And it all happened because of a lunch Fischer had just down the hallway in the House Member’s Dining Room back in 1987, shortly after he graduated from SUNY Geneseo.
Fischer’s parents had been longtime friends with James T. Molloy, the South Buffalo politico who served as House doorkeeper from 1973 to 1995, and they suggested he pay Molloy a visit. Molloy gave Fischer a Capitol tour and then took him to lunch.
The two hit it off, and before long, Molloy asked Fischer: “What do you think about coming down here and coming to work for me?”
Fischer, who had been substitute teaching in Buffalo city schools, immediately said yes. And that launched him on a career among the hundreds of staffers that make Congress work. After working for Molloy, he joined the cloakroom staff in 1993, and Pelosi named him as its director two decades later.
During Fischer’s 32 years in the cloakroom, several moments stood out – including Pelosi’s ascendance to the speakership in 2007.
“The number one is kind of having a back row seat to seeing the first female speaker in American history sworn in,” Fisher said. “That was remarkable … And I was fortunate enough to be a small part of her team at that time, and then also during her second tenure as well. You know, she’s a force of nature, and it’s just amazing watching her in action.”
A Democrat through and through, Fischer said the passage of the Affordable Care Act – otherwise known as Obamacare – was another highlight. To watch Pelosi “keep everybody moving in the same direction through something like the ACA was just incredible,” Fischer said.
Other moments were incredibly bad. Cloakroom staffers take over as aides to every House member once they enter the Capitol, and that included helping rush them out the door both during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Both disasters were eerily similar in a way. Both times, lawmakers and congressional staff were told they had to get out as fast as possible. Both times, Fischer helped rush House members to safety. Both times, not knowing what would happen next, he called his wife, Julie, to tell her he loved her.
But the trauma of Jan. 6 seems fresher in Fischer’s mind. He still remembers the Capitol Police officers ordering lawmakers, some of them in their 70s, to run to the Capitol basement and then through an underground passageway to safety in the House Rayburn Building. One of the first people allowed to re-enter the building after the riot, Fischer still remembers the stench of the tear gas and the fire extinguishers the rioters discarded after using them as weapons.
“We were escorted back in, past what was essentially a crime scene,” he said.
House staffers, like lawmakers, had just lived through a traumatic experience. Fischer said it was just too much for some of them.
“Probably the hardest thing for me was seeing the trauma and the PTSD on the part of some of the young staffers,” he said. “We lost a lot of good people who thought they’d be here a long time doing good work on behalf of the American people, but after that, suddenly they’re like: ‘I’m done. I’m out.’ ”
Jan. 6 was clearly on Fischer’s mind as he took to the podium to thank everyone from his family to members of Congress to his fellow “cloakies” for everything they had done for him.
“I’m going to miss the people like me who assist and support the House of Representatives, the people behind the scenes who do much great work on and around the House floor,” he said. “I would also like to thank the Capitol Police for keeping us all safe. They deserve respect and support on the good days and the bad days.”
Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!
Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Jerry Zremski
Washington bureau
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today