Letter to the Tribune Editor, printed with permission of sender Bob Anderson:
In regards to: Benton asked to resign amid harassment claims. By Jeremy Gorner, 7/2/2026
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is right to ask Representative Harry Benton to resign from the General Assembly after the internal investigation revealed clear patterns of behavior calling them, “outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming of a member of the General Assembly.”
What was missing from Speaker Welch’s comments was that Representative Harry Benton is a “double-dipper”, meaning holding more than one political elected office. Representative Benton is also the road commissioner for Wheatland Township.
Illinois law allows for members of the General Assembly to be “double-dippers” like Senator Napoleon Harris III who also is the supervisor of Thornton Township, making $202,950 as supervisor and over $100,000 as senator plus double benefits. This is not a claim.
The holding of multiple elected offices simultaneously in Illinois, or anywhere, in the Speaker Welch’s words, is improper conduct, it’s outrageous, unethical, and unbecoming. This subject should become a priority of the governor and members of the General Assembly, passing legislation making “double-dipping illegal.
Any lawmaker who believes “double-dipping” is a good thing should think about resigning.
