Bennett grew up in northern Illinois with his father, a proud Rockford public school teacher, his mother, a retail worker, and where he and his younger sister attended public schools from kindergarten through high school. Bennett moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University Chicago where he received his Bachelor's degree. Prior to joining Alderman Tunney’s office, Lawson served as the District Director for Illinois State Senator Carol Ronen, where he was responsible for directing all constituent services. He worked to resolve issues residents faced with state agencies and collaborated with officials at the federal, county, and city levels on projects, events, and constituent casework. 

 

Having served as chief of staff to Alderman Tunney since 2007, and director of community outreach prior, Lawson is the liaison to the ward’s vibrant business and civic communities where he’s helped promote growth as well as tourism, while balancing the needs of local residents. He helped shepherd the development of multiple projects that are having lasting impacts on the community, including the construction of Center on Halsted, the redevelopment of the Town Hall Police station into LGBT senior housing, the Howard Brown Health Center currently under construction on Northalsted, the Whole Foods and Mariano’s developments, and  development that increased affordable housing within the neighborhood. He works closely with police commanders and members of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) to help keep the community safe, and works with businesses and residents on  crime prevention strategies. He also leads outreach to the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS community, in both the ward and the city more broadly, to help nonprofits obtain funding and initiate new programs to help those in need. 

 

Lawson resides in Lakeview with his husband, Pete. In his free time, he enjoys local restaurants, theater, cycling, movies and golf.