For 18 years, Tom Malkovich has served as Benton's City Attorney, but his connection to our community began long before he took that oath of office. Born and raised in Benton, Malkovich represents a living testament to the values our school district instills in its students.

"Growing up in Benton in the 1970s, it was a small, tightly knit community, primarily a coal mining community at that time," Malkovich recalls. "There was a real hometown pride, whether it was high school athletics or just the neighborhood. Each neighborhood had their own school, so you knew everybody on the street you grew up on."

As the youngest of six children, Malkovich attended Grant School in his early years. His memories of those formative days remain vivid, from "fellow students to the teachers to the cooks and the custodian." This sense of community and belonging shaped his perspective on what makes Benton special.

After graduating from Benton High School, Malkovich pursued higher education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before returning home to attend Southern Illinois University Law School. While career opportunities elsewhere beckoned, Southern Illinois held a magnetic pull that brought him back to his roots.

"I had job opportunities in other places, but job opportunities in Southern Illinois is what brought me back. I think I always knew that I wanted to be nearby," he explains.

Malkovich's legal career spans more than three decades, beginning with insurance defense work before transitioning to plaintiffs' personal injury and workers' compensation cases for approximately twenty years. Today, he primarily focuses on governmental work, representing Benton and several other governmental clients through his private practice.

His role as City Attorney extends far beyond legal counsel. Nearly every business day finds Malkovich at City Hall, addressing personnel issues, preparing ordinances, attending court, and working on economic development initiatives such as tax increment financing districts and enterprise zones. He also handles labor negotiations and ordinance violations.

What might surprise people about his position? "I think just the everyday involvement with the inner workings of the city," Malkovich notes. "There's a lot more involvement than just the legal aspects of it. It comes with any small-town attorney. You're involved with a lot of the everyday workings outside of the legal aspects."

Malkovich's family connection to Benton runs generations deep. His parents were both born and raised in the Benton area and attended local schools. This tradition continues through his children – all four, including his biological daughter and three stepchildren through his marriage to Eileen Malkovich (formerly known to many students as Mrs. Satterfield, who taught seventh-grade science in the district for nearly 30 years), graduated from Benton schools.

When asked about the values instilled by the Benton School District that serve him well today, Malkovich doesn't hesitate: "Honesty, humility, and just an appreciation for others. Respect."

He believes these values extended beyond the classroom. "I think that extended from the schools to each street in the neighborhood, each family. There was an expectation that you helped your neighbor, and that didn't mean just the guy next door – that maybe meant somebody a block away."

As Benton looks to the future, Malkovich hopes for expanded funding to provide greater opportunities for students. "If there was more funding available so that kids could have the opportunity to explore extracurricular activities, whether that be arts, theater, music, or academic honor programs – just to get started earlier, to fit in."

His vision reflects a desire for all children to feel connected to something that helps them discover their path, "whether it keeps them in the Benton area or at least gives them something that they can be proud to do career-wise."