Dixon Heitman

 

By Nick Reiher

Jessica Dixon Heitman said she worked for then-state Rep. Harry Benton as an independent contractor in his office from January 2023 to May 2023.

“The reason that my stint was so short was that very soon after I started working for him, I realized it was not a good fit,” said Dixon Heitman in an exclusive interview with Farmers Weekly Review.

Ironically, she recently was appointed by Democrat leaders in the 97^th House District to fill the vacancy left by Benton who resigned under pressure due to allegations of sexual impropriety. She will face Republican Gabby Shanahan, whom Benton narrowly defeated two years ago, on the November 3rd ballot.

“There were a lot of red flags,” she said of working in Benton’s office. “And I felt like there was not really much focus on the district and getting things done. It was definitely disheartening, because I was very enthusiastic about some changes happening.

“And unfortunately, it seemed like his attention was more focused on other things versus the betterment of the district and the community.”

Pressed further on those red flags, Dixon Heitman said she saw Benton’s inappropriate behavior with one of his staffers.

“She was very young. She was very scared, and instead of focusing on myself, my whole entire focus was protecting her and being a support system to her. She was very opposed to filing any sort of report, which I can understand. I mean, if you ask any woman anywhere in the course of her life, if she has been in a situation like this, it’s a resounding, yes, usually multiple times.

“And more often than not, reporting doesn’t do anything. So her mindset was, ‘OK, I’m gonna report this, and then I’m gonna be blacklisted.’ And I feel for her; I still check in with her, and she has a brilliant mind.

“And she will never come back to the political arena, because of her experience. That is very unfortunate. We really lost someone that could have done incredible things.”

Rather than shy away from politics after that experience, Dixon Heitman said it helped fuel a desire simmering since she used to experience the political sausage being made by her grandfather, U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon, and her parents, who had a public relations and government affairs firm that they started.

President of Dixon / Heitman Collective, a communications firm, she has worked in communications throughout her career, including stints handling media relations in the Illinois House and Senate. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and English from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

“My husband and I talked about (running for office) honestly since we were first together, and he found out my family background,” she said. “I always told him I feel like someday I will know when it’s the time, and the time is now.

“My children are older. You know, a couple of years ago I think it would have been very difficult for me personally. My twins were so young.”

The family moved from Chicago to Plainfield eight years ago. Her husband grew up in Shorewood, her in-laws still live there, so they were familiar with the area

After putting down roots in Plainfield, “I just started to see a lack of representation and a lack of leadership. I said to my husband, ‘I know that we’re not going anywhere, I know that we are going to raise our family here.

“I want this community to continue to grow and thrive, and I don’t really see how that’s going to be done with the current representation that we have, or lack thereof.”

Dixon Heitman entered the contest for the 97^th District appointment with some notable names already in the ring. She thinks her passion in the interviews may have made the difference.

“As soon as I filled out my application, I immediately started talking to people, I immediately started reaching out to people, I called (Will County Democratic Chair Billy Morgan) and asked If we could have a phone interview.

“I started to talking to all of the unions in the area, because I wanted to make sure that they knew That I was not going away. They knew that I am pro-union, that I know so many union families myself, my husband grew up in a union home, his dad is retired, IBEW, 176, and these union families they need to know that they are going to be taken care of that they are going to be able to afford a cost of living, they’re going to be able to raise their children here.”

The committee that appointed her consisted of Morgan and Mary Jo Wenmouth, chair of the Kendall County Democrats. Will County Circuit Court Judge Colette Safford swore in state Rep. Dixon Heitman immediately following the July 20 meeting.

Dixon Heitman knows she has a short amount of time before November 3^rd to get her message out. But one of them is changing the culture in Springfield.

“I know that a lot of people are frustrated … but … we have to change it with new laws. I want to be transparent with my constituents, I want to be ethical, I want them to know that they can come to me, and they will know that what they say to me will actually be something that I hear and get done.

“I have talked to so many people and they say, ‘I just want to have a representative that I can stand behind.’

“I do not want people standing behind me, because when you’re standing behind me, there is a chance that I am not going to hear you. I want you right next to me. I want people on either side of me speaking directly to me.”

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.