Members

James A Barclay (R)

Daniel E. Kumer (D)

Barry Beck (R)

Jared Heller (R)

Stan Berry (D)

Laura Hepp Kessel (D) (Vice Chair)

Lauren Southwood (R)

Paula Grigsby (D)

VACANT (D)

David Widger (D)

John Spangler (R)

Biography:Born and raised in Fulton County, John’s roots in the farming community run five generations deep, just on the western side of the Spoon River. Today, he manages Spangler Land & Cattle, a diversified grain and livestock farm located north of Marietta. He farms with his parents, Bruce and Sharon Spangler, and he and his wife, Holly, are raising their three children on the farm. The family grows corn and soybeans, and raises 100 head of beef cattle, operating a cow-calf herd and a background feeding operation.

John graduated in 1995 from the University of Illinois with a degree in agricultural economics. He’s a member of the Spoon River Electric Co-op board, and serves as chairman of the Checkrow Community Church board. He’s served on the Fulton County Farm Bureau board and the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders committee, and he was a long-time member of the Nabor House Agricultural Fraternity alumni board, helping raise $3 million for a building project, encouraging cooperative living on the university campus.

John’s goal in farming is to leave the land better than it is today, ensuring safe and abundant food production and opportunities for generations to come. His philosophy in community is much the same: work hard for the people, to make the community better for future generations.

Karl WIlliams (R)

Brian Platt (R)

Ryan Sloan (R)

Lisa Thompson (D)

Biography: Born and raised in Canton, Lisa’s family built the Shake Shack in 1973.
She began at Caterpillar as an electrician apprentice until the downturn in the early 1980’s and then returned to school at SRC and earned an Associate in Applied Science Degree. She went on to work for Honeywell and transferred to the Chicago office in 1990 and married her husband, Scott. Eventually she went to work for Johnson Controls and became the first female Project Manager in the Chicago offices.

Her work career consisted of engineering the software and hardware for HVAC automation and fire alarm systems for commercial buildings. Contract negotiations, hiring subcontractors, overseeing installation, managing manpower, testing equipment, and financial responsibility for those processes were integral parts of her job. Projects included car plants, hospitals, schools, jails, and buildings downtown Chicago. She also worked on electrical construction projects as the Construction Office Manager. After 25 years, Lisa and her husband returned to the Canton area to be near family and friends.  As a newcomer to politics, Lisa wants to contribute to her community by advocating for transparency, fairness, and consistency in local government.

One of her favorite quotes is by Admiral Grace Hopper: The most damaging phrase in the language is: ‘It’s always been done that way.’