Congressional Candidate Brad Harriman in Du Quoin: Confident & A Life Well-Lived

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Brad Harriman's appeal probably comes from the fact that he's a career educator whose focus has been children with special needs. He's also played professional football, traveled in CBS play-by-play circles, comes from a blue collar background, became St. Clair County regional superintendent of schools-- and married a St. Louis Cardinals' cheerleader.

Both he and wife Karen of 23 years are confident and have had substantial careers, Neither needs the headaches of taking over Rep. Jerry Costello's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Maybe that's why he needs to do this.

He faces Republican Jason Plummer, another substantial candidate, in the November election.

Harriman is down-to-earth and says at age 57 he won't be there long enough to be part of the Washington problem. But, he might be there long enough to solve the problems of his individual constituents at a level that matters while adding his voice to those of us who believe that somehow the country has to come first again.

"Congress is so polarized," he said of the congressmen and women who won't even extend a handshake across the aisle. It's a disgrace.

"We're not going to tax our way out of debt, nor cut our way out of debt," he said. He said Washington and the American people share the blame equally for our economic problems and that there's no easy way back. "I didn't grow up with a lot and try to buy American and pay cash for what I buy."

Harriman was born and raised in a working class Belleville family. Brad spent his entire adult life working in Belleville area public and Catholic schools - teaching, coaching, and serving at-risk youth. From 2006 through September 2011, Brad was the Regional Superintendent for St. Clair County, where he continued to coordinate countywide at-risk student programs.

His paternal grandfather was a coal miner who died tragically in a mine cave-in accident; his maternal grandfather was a world record holder in slow-fire pistol shooting and an Illinois State Trooper.

Brad's father passed away in 1996.

He was a pipefitter at the Monsanto chemical plant and a member of the International chemical workers union, local 12.

He was unemployed from time to time, but worked odd jobs to support his family. Brad's family lived paycheck to paycheck. Brad's first job was as a dishwasher and he has worked odd jobs from construction worker to moving companies virtually every summer since he was 16 years old, including all the way through his teaching career.

He remains extremely close to his mother, Kay, who took a job as a secretary when Brad was old enough to care for his two younger sisters after school. His mother currently lives in Belleville on a fixed income - relying on social security and Medicare.

Brad was a stand out athlete and all-star offensive lineman at Belleville East High School. He would not have been able to afford college right after high school without a full football scholarship to Western Illinois.

Brad finished his playing career at the University of Missouri - Rolla, and became the first of his family to attend college, earning a degree from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. Brad signed professional football contracts with both the Atlanta Falcons (1977) and Buffalo Bills (1978) of the NFL before returning home to Belleville to begin his teaching career in 1978.

Brad met his wife Karen on a blind date when she was a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals football team.

Brad spent 13 years teaching and coaching at Althoff Catholic High School, where he helped lead the football team to three state championships and was named IBCA Coach of the Year for his efforts in coaching basketball. He left Althoff to teach at the St. Clair County Juvenile Detention Center where he taught incarcerated youth.

In 2006 Brad was selected as the Regional Superintendent for St. Clair County, where he spearheaded the creation of a new school for at-risk students and coordinated all at-risk student services. He served in the post through September of this year.

"I'm not a politician," he says. "I'm just all about Southern Illinois. He said he won't be part of any broken promise to Social Security pensioners who worry about whether social security will be there for them in the future. "We need to take Social Security off the table now," he said so our senior citizens can stop worrying.

Harriman said he will be back in Perry County several times before the November election to meet with voters.