Shelby County Board leadership resign

October 23, 2024 101

SHELBYVILLE, IL — The leadership of the Shelby County Board recently came under question following the resignations of board chairman Robert “Bobby” Orman and vice-chairman Mark Bennett.

Orman submitted his resignation to the board on October 10, effective before the October county board meeting.

Bennett was not present at the county board meeting, but County Clerk Jessica Fox did submit notice of his resignation on October 16.

County Clerk Fox noted that upcoming actions will be up to the board, and there is a concise window for action. That is due to the upcoming November 5 general election, and newly elected members are sworn in during the month of December for the new term.

Both Orman and Bennett were expecting general election opposition in November. Orman was set to face Guy Michael Anderson in District 7, while Bennett was set to face James Caputo in District 2. Both Anderson and Caputo are the Democratic nominees. Despite their resignations, both will remain on the ballot due to the ballot certification period being long passed, and they could still get re-elected.

Orman stated the following in his resignation letter:

Professional agencies are important to the sound management of our local government. Insurance, HR (human resources), auditors, and other agencies in the like are crucial to mitigating risk of the taxpayers. Unfortunately, what I have witnessed is a gross disregard of board policy that was developed by recommendation of those professional agencies. I do not wish to be a part of this any longer or in the future.

Orman’s statement presumes that he has no intention to make a serious run for his county board seat, likely setting Anderson up for a victory, turning that seat blue for the Democrats.

The resignations come following a recent court decision by Circuit Judge Doug Jarman to grant a temporary restraining order to halt an attempt by the Shelby County Board to open bids in an attempt to sell the county-owned farm.

During that hearing, Judge Jarman told Orman that he could not be represented by former State’s Attorney Robert Hanlon. Current State’s Attorney Ruth Woolery currently represents the county board on legal matters, but she currently has conflicts with Orman, Bennett, and other members of the county board’s position on selling the farm. A special prosecutor would need to be appointed.

The resignations of Orman and Bennett mark the beginning of some significant political reshuffling of the board. Four of Orman and Bennett’s closest allies were defeated earlier this year in the primary election and will be leaving when the new board comes into power in December.

The candidates who defeated those four allies are part of a bipartisan coalition known as Shelby County United, which among other positions, calls for the county to keep the farm.

No transcript of Bennett’s resignation was made available before publication, and requests for comment from Orman and Bennett were not returned at publication.

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Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.