THE FOLLOWING IS A DR. STACY BENNETT RELEASE
There are no words to describe what the 52nd senate district meant to my husband Scott. He loved the hard-working, industrious people throughout East Central Illinois—even when the affection was not always returned. I remember him once saying, “I love <town>, but they sure don’t like me.” Yet, that never stopped him from working on their behalf. The Senate was never a stepping stone to a higher office for Scott, although he was approached numerous times. He remained a steadfast public servant because he genuinely believed he had a unique skill set to help our community- and he was right. He sacrificed a lot to dedicate himself to making a difference for his constituents.
This was likely going to be Scott’s last term because he wanted to be home more as our children got older, but he was very concerned about who would replace him to continue making progress on the causes he championed and represent this unique district. When thinking about his potential successor, the most important thing for Scott was that it be someone who would represent and listen to ALL of the 52nd district’s constituents, not just the individuals who agree with them. While the 52nd district leans democratic, it is a very diverse district with dramatically different opinions and issues throughout.
Scott emphasized the importance of integrity and honesty in everything he did. He did not appreciate it when other elected officials stretched the truth or made false statements in order to stand in the spotlight. In fact, Scott was not someone who cared about being in the spotlight. He did not like photo ops and would rather attend events in support, instead of providing remarks. He preferred to speak through his actions. Scott was the type of person that would roll up his sleeves and work side by side with stakeholders to examine potential proposals. He embraced the messy, detail-oriented nature of crafting legislation and was a highly-skilled negotiator, which allowed him to ensure that policies were beneficial for the 52nd district and the state.
While Scott was a proud Democrat, he was not a partisan. He firmly believed in finding common ground and was always willing to listen to those with varying perspectives and talk to those who disagreed with him to better understand their concerns and identify a way to bridge the divide. In fact, his own views on some issues changed after doing more research and talking to people. The growing trend of “all or nothing” politics upset him. The unwillingness of many to even sit down and listen to facts or other views saddened him greatly because he could see that many disagreements were based on misunderstandings. People would often call and yell at him about things that were not even in the bills they were upset about, but they refused to listen or take the time to look at the actual bill. This was increasingly happening on both sides of the aisle and was so frustrating for Scott. All he wanted to do was sit down and talk through concerns, yet people often refused to accept his offer.
In our discussions about whom he thought would be a good replacement, four names consistently came up. Scott believed these people would bring integrity, and valuable experience and perspectives to the senate, while also listening to and representing the entire district.
With the state’s largest university and two community colleges, higher education is one of the most important issues for the 52nd district. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Gianina Baker has a doctorate in higher education administration and has worked extensively on various higher education policy issues, particularly equity. She has also served on the Unit 4 school board for six years.
Paul Faraci has been a fixture in the Champaign/Urbana community for 45 years. His experience includes owning a small business, working on economic development, serving on the Champaign City Council, and now as the Champaign Township Assessor. He has also worked in Vermilion County through his positions with the Department of Economic Opportunity and the State Treasurer’s office.
Andy Quarnstrom’s leadership has been shown through his work at the Champaign Fire Department, where he serves as a Battalion Chief, and his work as Champaign Township Supervisor, where he has helped create the Strides low-barrier homeless shelter and the CU Work program at Prosperity Gardens.
Mary Catherine Roberson has tirelessly advocated for youth empowerment and against gun violence for many years in Vermilion County and has more recently brought those efforts to the City of Champaign as the Community Relations Manager. She has also run after-school programs in Danville and taught ESL at Danville Area Community College.
I informed each of these people about Scott’s belief in them but did not pressure them to apply. I will not be endorsing one candidate. I can only comment on my discussions with Scott and will not make assumptions beyond our discussions.
