Still Waters
Run Deep
State Sen. Scott Bennett dies at age 45
'Scott had a big laugh and an even bigger heart. He made friends easily, understood the value of hard work, and was quick with words of encouragement at just the
I met this fellow once at the Illinois Capitol during a IGOLD event, (Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day) just after he was installed as senator and he explained to me that he grew up on a farm and wanted to protect the 2nd amendment, blah blah blah. Lied to my face and proceeded to vote for every gun control measure he could find and follow the Chicago machine in lockstep.
All of his commie friends speak highly of him though.
Rick Danzl/The News-Gazette
URBANA — The Champaign County coroner has confirmed the death of state Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign.
Duane Northrup said Sen. Bennett died at 1:15 p.m. Friday at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. First responders were initially called to his Champaign home just before 3 a.m. Thursday. Sen. Bennett's wife, Stacy, said in a statement that he died of complications of a large brain tumor.
"We remain in complete shock because it was all so sudden and unexpected," she said. "Scott will forever be known for being an extraordinary father, husband and friend. His quick humor and wit could light up any room he entered. We will miss his stories, the way he could always make people laugh, and his genuine kindness.
“Scott lived a life full of service and constantly looked for ways to lend his time and energy to helping our community and state. He worked tirelessly to find solutions to society’s most pressing issues by finding common ground and compromise. To say he will be greatly missed is an understatement."
Sen. Bennett, 45, a Champaign lawyer, represented the 52nd District, which covers large portions of Champaign and Vermilion counties, including Champaign-Urbana, Savoy, Rantoul, Danville, Tilton and Westville.
Local and state officials are taking the loss hard.
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs called Sen. Bennett a “loving husband, devoted father and, to me, one of my closest friends."
“He fought for people as an assistant state’s attorney and continued to fight for people as an Illinois state senator. He was not afraid of the difficult issues and there was no challenge too big for him to tackle,” Frerichs said.
“Scott had a big laugh and an even bigger heart. He made friends easily, understood the value of hard work, and was quick with words of encouragement at just the right time,” Frerichs went on to say. “Certainly, he learned these truths from his family, which date back five generations in East Central Illinois.”
Both Champaign and Urbana mayors said they relied heavily on Sen. Bennett, and expressed heartfelt condolences to his family.
“I can’t imagine their loss and grief,” Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen said.
When there was legislation that was going to impact the local area, Feinen said, "he was my first phone call. He was always in contact,” Feinen said. “I will miss that, but what I will really miss is his kind nature, his care for our community and his hilarious sense of humor. He made me laugh every time I talked to him. He was just the best.”
“We have lost a wonderful man way too soon,” Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin said. “I deeply respected Senator Scott Bennett and, more importantly, just plain liked Scott Bennett very much.”
Marlin called Sen. Bennett “the sort of person we long for in public office.”
“He had a delightful sense of humor, the ability to work with people and politicians across the spectrum and a pragmatic approach to the legislative process,” she said. “His legal expertise, coupled with his life experience and integrity, made him perfect for his role as state senator.”
“It’s a tremendous and unexpected loss,” said state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington. “My heart pours out for his family, his wife and his young children, for whom I only want to show as much love and respect as possible.”
Barickman said Sen. Bennett was a friend to him and to many people inside and outside of politics and the go-to person for perspective in issues facing East Central Illinois and the Champaign-Urbana community, the University of Illinois and area hospitals.
“The impacts that he has made as recently as just last week were unprecedented. He has continuously been a common sense voice of reason from the Democratic side of the aisle at a time in politics when that is sorely needed,” Barickman said.
State Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, chats with Bard Benefield of Champaign before a town hall event Wednesday, June 6, 2018, at Carpenters Local 243 in Champaign.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz said: "There was absolutely nothing bad to say about him. He was the definition of a good human being and the world is a much darker place without him right now."
Mike Ingram, chair of the Champaign County Democrats, called Sen. Bennett “one of the best people I’ve ever known in my entire life.”
Born and raised in Gibson City, he graduated from Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School in 1995 and got his undergraduate degree in history in 1998 from Illinois State University. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2002 and worked as a prosecutor in McLean County and later Champaign County.
He had worked at the Urbana courthouse almost three years when he was appointed in January 2015 to fill out the term of then-state Sen. Mike Frerichs, who had been elected state treasurer the previous November.
From left, state Sens. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, and Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, listen to testimony during a budget hearing about proposed state funding cuts on Monday, April 13, 2015, at the Illini Union in Urbana.
News-Gazette file photo
Sen. Bennett was elected to his first full term in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 and on Nov. 8, when he ran unopposed.
He served on several Senate committees, including agriculture, appropriations for higher education, judiciary, labor and redistricting. He had also been an instrumental player in recent negotiations to amend the controversial SAFE-T Act that, among other aspects, abolishes bail in Illinois criminal cases.
Scott Bennett hands son Sam back to his wife, Stacy, as he is introduced at his swearing-in ceremony to be the new state senator of the 52nd District on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, at the Champaign County Courthouse in Urbana.
John Dixon/The News-Gazette
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois “mourns the loss of a dedicated public servant and devoted father” after Bennett's passing. “Senator Scott Bennett was a good man who always operated with the best interest of his constituents in mind,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Throughout his time in Springfield, he fiercely advocated for the institutions that shaped his life, from his upbringing on a Gibson City farm, all the way to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“The entire state is a better place thanks to his service. M.K. and I send our thoughts to his loving wife Stacy and their two beautiful children during this difficult period.”
The union that represents the university’s building service workers, SEIU Local 73, sent condolences to Bennett’s family, calling him an “ally to the labor movement in Illinois.”
“He stood up for working families by supporting the Workers’ Rights Amendment and supported our members in their fight for a fair contract at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,” wrote union spokesman Eric Bailey.
Sen. Bennett was most recently affiliated with the Spiros Law firm in Champaign. He and his wife have two children.
Mary Schenk
ReporterMary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
