Thornton Township trustees to skip meeting, block Henyard from filling vacancy as power struggle continues
SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (WGN) — In the ongoing power struggle in Thornton Township, township supervisor Tiffany Henyard plans to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy on the township’s board Tuesday night, but two other trustees who have challenged her spending are trying to prevent her from making the move by not showing up.
An agenda item for Tuesday night’s Thornton Township Board of Trustees meeting is the Henyard’s appointment of a new trustee to fill a vacancy from the resignation of Jerry Jones, who stepped away from the board due to “personal and health” priorities, according to the Lansing Journal.
In order to replace Jones, the meeting would need to reach quorum from the board, but Carmen Carlisle and Chris Gonzalez — two trustees on the board — plan to be absent in order to prevent that from happening.
“It’s not to harm, to hurt, to stop, but it’s to make sure the right things are being done for the residents of Thornton Township,” Carlisle said. “I want the public and the employees who provide services to know that I care, we care, and as leaders, sometimes we have to make hard decisions.”
If quorum was met, Henyard would be able to appoint the trustee, which Carlisle and Gonzalez said would be a likely yes vote for Henyard’s spending of township tax dollars, which the two of them have plenty of questions about.
“We feel that it’s necessary for that to go to the people — let the people choose,” Gonzalez said of filling the trustee vacancy.
Gonzalez walked out of the last Thornton Township Board of Trustees meeting minutes after it began. The reason he showed up nearly three weeks ago was to come to an agreement on paying township bills and covering employees’ insurance, but walked out shortly after because he said Henyard had provided little detail on a proposed 100% homeowner tax refund.
“Just when you think there’s something that doesn’t make sense, then something that doesn’t make sense times a hundred pops up,” Gonzalez said.
Carlisle, Henyard’s former assistant turned self-described whistleblower, hasn’t attended a township board of trustees meeting in months due to safety concerns. At the township’s last board of trustees meeting, Carlisle asked to phone in, but Henyard wouldn’t allow it.
Outside of the board meeting Tuesday night, Henyard is also facing an election challenge on two fronts.
Although the embattled south suburban politician hasn’t announced she’s running for re-election as Thornton Township supervisor, Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark has filed his candidacy to run for the position, but even he has strenuous relationships with his political counterparts. Last month, a Harvey alderwoman said she was arrested after criticizing the mayor.
In Dolton, Henyard has already announced her re-election campaign for mayor, where’s she’s being challenged by a trustee leading the fight against her there.
The Thornton Township Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT. Stay with WGN News as we’ll bring you new information after the meeting’s conclusion.
