Menard Co. Deputy Fills Out Butler’s 87th District Term; New Appointee To be Named to New 95th District on Thursday

By Benjamin Cox on January 4, 2023 at 10:17am

A Menard County Sheriff’s Deputy will be hanging up his badge for the Statehouse for the next week.

Jason Huffman was sworn in Monday to fill out the remaining days of Tim Butler’s term in the 87th District in the current seating of the General Assembly. Butler resigned December 31st to take a new position as head of the Illinois Railroad Association. In a congratulatory post on Butler’s Twitter, he says that Huffman lives in Athens and is currently a Menard County Sheriff’s Deputy. WMAY reports that Huffman works as a police officer in Sherman. Huffman’s appointment will last just a few days until the new General Assembly is seated on Wednesday, January 11th.

Butler ran unopposed in the newly drawn 95th Illinois House District. Republican chairs from the 3 counties in the new district will meet Thursday to vote to fill the vacancy for the next two years. It was reported last week that Mike Coffey, Jr., a Springfield restaurateur and former Springfield mayoral candidate, is the front runner to fill the term.