I also encourage you to look at all of the candidates running for the 3 seats on the Granite City School District #9 school board. Dan Comer is a local businessman who is also a "lifelong" resident, EXCEPT for his 3 years that he served in the Army.
He is a straight shooter and will tell you exactly what he thinks. His strongest talents that he is bringing to the table are common sense and problem solving skills. He knows how to get things done.
He is using mostly word of mouth and face-to-face time to run his campaign as frugally as possible, so I encourage you to check out his Facebook page to learn what his values are.