Balcer served as an alderman on six committees: Budget and Government Operations; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Finance; Human Relations; Police and Fire; and Transportation and Public Way.
He was appointed to the Council in the aftermath of a scandal about disclosures about then-Ald. Patrick Huels' private security firm that resulted in Huels' resignation.
Ald. Balcer's former ward encompasses part of Chicago's Southwest Side, and includes the neighborhood of Bridgeport, which has been home to five Chicago mayors, including both Richard M. and Richard J. Daley.