Myron J. Bennett, a combative radio host-turned-politician, died of cancer Aug. 19. He was 82. Bennett built a big following in the 1940s with his tart commentary on the city's politics on radio station KSO. In 1948, he was elected the city's public safety commissioner. He was charged during his first year in office with involvement in a conspiracy to collect kickbacks from tavern owners. The charges were later dismissed. He lost his city post in 1950 when Des Moines changed its form of government. A Republican, Bennett then switched his party affiliation and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.
