Four years of service on the District 428 School Board is only part of a lifelong dedication to public service for Mike Griesbaum.

He started his public service in the military as a Marine, where he served for 20 years, and now serves as a member of the St. Charles police force.

“Public service is a fun interest I have,” he said. “It is the best way to be a decision maker.”

Griesbaum’s interest in the school board comes from wanting to know more.

When he did not agree with the decisions made by other school board members, he did not complain. He decided to run for the board.

“I wanted to find out why those decisions were made,” he said. “And the only way to do that was to run for the school board.”

A self-imposed term limit helped make the decision not to seek re-election to the school board an easy one.

“I do not believe in multiple terms,” he said. “There should be somebody new. New blood is good; it brings in a different perspective.”

Being part of the purest form of public service, even for one term, was worth it, he said.

“The disciplinary decisions are especially hard because they mostly deal with expulsion at the school board level,” he said.

Deciding to expel a student goes against what the school board is trying to do, he said.

Other board members reflected on Griesbaum’s time on the school board.

With all of the difficult decisions, Griesbaum still managed to serve as a strong member, School Board President Tom Teresinski said.

“His focus on discipline was appreciated,” he said. “He was a good board member.”

Suzanne Lambrecht, exiting school board vice-president, said Griesbaum really cared about the children.

“It was a pleasure working with someone who cared about the education the children received,” she said.

The future for Griesbaum will involve parenting and public service but probably not politics.

“I am looking forward to becoming just a parent with children again,” he said.