Benge named Anderson assistant city attorney

Apr. 12—ANDERSON — The City of Anderson has hired Spenser Benge as an assistant city attorney to replace Alexander Newman.

Benge will take over the duties that were assigned to Newman as the attorney for the Anderson Board of Public Safety, the Anderson Park Board and Environmental Court.

Newman resigned as city attorney following his arrest in February in Hamilton County on a Level 6 felony charge of strangulation and a misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and domestic battery by bodily waste.

City attorney Paul Podlejski recommended Benge for the position.

"I worked with Spenser on a couple of jury trials and was impressed with his work ethic," he said.

Benge's salary will be approximately $50,000 per year.

Benge, 31, graduated from Highland High School.

"I practiced law in Indianapolis after law school and wanted to come back to Anderson where I had some connections," he said.

"My mom worked for (attorney) Bob Austin and she always wanted to be an attorney," Benge said. "She guided me in that direction."

Benge is a 2016 graduate of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and received a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in psychology.

A native of Indiana, Benge is currently a member of the Beeman Heifner Benge P.A. law office.

Benge became an attorney because he wants to help people in his community.

His desire to help others grew even stronger during his first summer of law school, which he spent at the Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy, according to his biography on the law firm's website. Later in law school, he also served as the executive production editor for unlawful discrimination in health care administration.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.