When Bob Fischer first started working in the House Democratic Cloakroom, it was still a smoke-filled room.

“I can remember my wife saying, ‘Every single one of your suits smells like smoke,’ and it used to drive her nuts,” he said. “And I’d be like, ‘What can I tell you? That’s where I work.’”

By the time he was promoted to manager in 2014, a lot had changed. Once a place where lawmakers could light up a cigar, knock back a drink or even get their hair trimmed , the cloakroom of today is both a refuge and a resource, and Fischer has quietly nudged it into the 21st century.

Over the years, Fischer became an expert on floor procedure and strategy, helping Democrats avoid mishaps and mistakes. Now the no-nonsense Buffalo native is retiring from his post.

Fischer remembers the first tim

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