* The Wheatland Township Board of Trustees unanimously last week approved this statement calling on former Rep. Harry Benton to resign as Highway Commissioner…

The Wheatland Township Board of Trustees has carefully considered the recent events involving Highway Commissioner Harry Benton following his resignation from the Illinois House of Representatives. As elected officials, we believe every person entrusted with public office must uphold the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and ethical conduct. Public confidence is the foundation of effective government. We recognize the seriousness of the circumstances that resulted in the highway commissioner’s resignation from the Illinois House of Representatives following an investigation conducted by the legislative inspector general. While the board has not reviewed the confidential investigative report and therefore makes no independent findings regarding its contents, we cannot ignore the extraordinary circumstances that led to Commissioner Benton’s resignation from the General Assembly.

The Office of Highway Commissioner is a separate elected office under Illinois law, and the township board has no legal authority to remove the highway commissioner from office. Nevertheless, we believe the events of the past several months have significantly undermined public confidence in township government. Accordingly, after careful consideration, the Wheatland Township Board of Trustees respectfully calls on Harry Benton to resign as Wheatland Township Highway Commissioner. This request is not made as a judgment on facts that remain confidential, but in recognition that public service depends upon the confidence of the people we serve. We believe the residents of Wheatland Township deserve leadership that is free from questions that cannot presently be answered publicly. The board remains committed to ensuring that township government continues to operate professionally, transparently, and without interruption for all residents.

There was no further discussion.

* Benton, however, spoke later in the meeting…

I want to start off with there are a lot of people attacking me on a regular basis, and people coming after me. Do not take anything out on road crew or the administrator. Be respectful as you voice your opinions. They do not deserve that, and I want to make sure that that’s very well known and publicly stated. I also want people to respect my family. I’ve received a lot of attacks since I got into politics. A lot of attacks. A lot of people coming after me and being disrespectful to me, even in front of my family. I want to make sure that that does not happen going forward.

There was no further discussion.

* Also, as of 1:41 this afternoon, Benton has still not withdrawn from his House reelection campaign, even though he promised to do so eleven days ago.