* Click here for some background if you need it. Jessica Dixon Heitman has been appointed to former Rep. Harry Benton’s seat. Press release…

The Democratic Representative Committee of the 97th District voted unanimously on Monday to appoint Jessica Dixon Heitman to serve as State Representative and to appear on the November ballot as the Democratic nominee for that seat.

The appointment follows the July 3 resignation of former Rep. Harry Benton, who also has formally withdrawn his candidacy.

“Jessica Dixon Heitman will be a strong, persistent, ethical, and effective advocate for the people of the 97th District,” said Billy Morgan, chair of the Will County Democratic Party. “She brings bold ideas and moral clarity to this new challenge, and I know we can count on her to fight for reform and help bring more accountability and transparency to our state government.”

“As I take on this new duty, I am going to do everything I can to make sure that our district builds the reputation it deserves – as a place that values community, ethics, civility, fiscal responsibility, and justice,” Dixon Heitman said in a brief statement after her appointment. “Going forward, my constituents can count on me to listen, to respond, and to represent them in ways that will make them proud, in Springfield and here at home.”

Dixon Heitman lives in Plainfield with her husband, Scott Heitman, and their three daughters. She has worked in communications throughout her career, including stints handling media relations in the Illinois House and Senate. She currently serves as President of Dixon / Heitman Collective, a communications firm. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and English from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

The Committee, which convened in a public meeting on Monday evening at Plainfield Township Community Center, consists of Morgan and Mary Jo Wenmouth, chair of the Kendall County Democrats. Will County Circuit Court Judge Colette Safford swore in Rep. Dixon Heitman immediately following the meeting.

Dixon is the granddaughter of former US Senator Alan Dixon.

Gabby Shanahan is the Republican nominee. The district leans Democratic in statewide races by an average of almost 7 percent over the past two cycles.

…Adding… Rep. Jessica Dixon Heitman…

It is a great honor – and a great responsibility – to be chosen to represent my community in Springfield.

As the State Representative for the 97th District, I am committed to working hard to strengthen our public schools, ease the property tax burden, support local businesses, support workers’ rights, and bring equity to our broken healthcare system.

I also intend to be a leading voice for tougher ethics legislation, including new laws that that will specifically address the recurring issue of harassment in Springfield. There is a pressing need for laws that will set forth clear procedures and timelines for investigations of harassment by elected officials or staff.

As legislators, we have a responsibility to protect the targets of harassment from continuing abuse and potential retaliation. We also have a duty to our constituents to assure transparency and accountability, including consequences for any leaders who misuse their positions to harass women and men who are simply trying to do their jobs and serve the people of Illinois.

Over the years, I’ve heard people say that we need to change the culture in Springfield. I believe the problem is not just the culture – it’s our inadequate laws that allow that toxic culture to flourish.

I have lived in Plainfield with my husband and our three daughters for the better part of a decade. It has been painful to see the 97th District become notorious throughout our state because of the actions of our former representative.

As I take on this new duty, I am going to do everything I can to make sure that our district builds the reputation it deserves – as a place that values community, ethics, civility, fiscal responsibility, and justice. Going forward, my constituents can count on me to listen, to respond, and to represent them in ways that will make them proud, in Springfield and here at home.

We have a great deal of repair work ahead of us. But with the support of my neighbors in the 97th District, I feel confident that we will succeed.

…Adding… Gabby Shanahan…

Following the appointment of a new State Representative to fill the vacancy in the 97th District, candidate for State Representative Gabby Shanahan released the following statement:

“For months, local families were left without real representation because of the failures of disgraced former Rep. Harry Benton. While our district went without a real voice in Springfield, I stepped up. I traveled to the Capitol to advocate for our community, met with local village councils to keep them informed about what was happening in Springfield, and will continue fighting to provide the leadership our district deserves.

“Our campaign is about restoring accountability, transparency, and honesty to state government. I’m running to lower property taxes, make life more affordable for working families, and help build a state government that people can trust again.

“A new appointment does not erase months of missed representation. Our district needs a new kind of leadership, not just a new name on the door. The people of this district deserve a representative who shows up, listens, and delivers. That’s exactly my record, and I look forward to earning their trust and their vote this November.”

…Adding… The House Republican Organization…

With the appointment of Jessica Dixon Heitman to replace her disgraced former boss, State Representative Harry Benton, the residents of the 97th District get more of the same. Voters deserve answers about what she knew regarding Benton’s alleged misconduct and why she remained silent.

According to screenshots, Dixon Heitman said Benton “needed to go.” If that was her view, constituents deserve to know why she did not speak out or come forward sooner. Her messages came just months after a former Benton staffer reported allegations of sexual harassment to Speaker Welch’s office.

The people of the 97th District deserve answers to several important questions:

- When did Dixon Heitman first become aware of concerns or allegations involving Rep. Benton?
- Does she believe it was acceptable for the Speaker to sit on this information for three years?
- Does she believe it was acceptable for the Speaker to spend millions of dollars electing and protecting a candidate he allegedly knew had serious personal issues?
- Does she believe Speaker Welch should answer for his office’s handling of the allegations against former Rep. Harry Benton?
- Will she pledge to disavow money from the Democratic Party of Illinois, the Democratic Majority, Speaker Welch and the committees he controls?

“After months of scandal, silence, and unanswered questions, Democrats doubled down and gave voters more of the same,” said Mark Cavers, Political Director for the Illinois House Republican Organization.

“Jessica Dixon Heitman has an obligation to answer the questions the people of the 97th District deserve to know. If she believed Harry Benton ‘needed to go,’ then voters deserve to know what she knew, when she knew it, and why she didn’t speak out. Her first test as a legislator is simple: stand with the people by demanding transparency and accountability, or stand with the political insiders who spent years keeping Illinois families in the dark.”

…Adding… The Tribune…

Heitman was sworn in before a crowd of about 30 to 40 people at a Plainfield community center, where she spoke about the need to strengthen ethics laws in Springfield, particularly around harassment investigations.

“As legislators, we have a responsibility to protect the targets of harassment from continuing abuse and possible retaliation. We also have a duty to our constituents to assure transparency and accountability, including consequences for any leaders who misuse their positions to harass women and men who are simply trying to do their jobs and serve the people of Illinois,” she said, drawing applause from the crowd. […]

Heitman was measured in discussing her brief tenure working for Benton.

“I worked for him for a short amount of time. It was not a great fit,” she said in an interview after her remarks. “The office environment was not something I felt was conducive to anything successful happening in the (legislative district) … It’s a hard thing to talk about.”