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Thornton Township trustees say they want to see more details about where township money is going and want to rein in spending on things such as
travel and credit card use.
At a special meeting Thursday, they set guidelines on township-paid travel
and repealed a township salary ordinance.
Action to set a limit on spending for township events was put off for
further review, as was setting rules for use of credit cards issued by the township.
It might sound familiar to residents of Dolton, a community that’s part of
the township and where trustees say they are also kept in the dark about
the true state of village finances
Tiffany Henyard is supervisor in Thornton Township, the state’s second-
largest township, by population, and is Dolton’s mayor.
She is under federal investigation, and two top allies are facing federal bankruptcy fraud charges.
Henyard, at Thursday’s township meeting, said she tries to make herself available to trustees if they have questions about how money is spent.
“My line is open to any board member sitting here,” she said.
“I ask for a lot of information, and the administration doesn’t
cooperate,” Trustee Carmen Carlisle said.
Carlisle said she has been contacted by vendors who’ve done work for the township and submitted bills, but said in some instances the supervisor
doesn’t include them on the list of bills for the board to review and
approve.
Some residents said the bickering among the township board was only
hurting residents they’re supposed to protect.
“You kids need to put your toys away,” she told board members. “You don’t
have to like each other, that’s politics, but you need to be able to come together.”
Another woman who said she has lived in the township 48 years said she’s
“never seen such carrying on in my life.”
“Something needs to give, it needs to stop,” she said. “I’m just tired of
it, please.”
De’Borah Reeves said actions by board members, such as blocking payment of bills, seem to be aimed at Henyard.
“It seems like you all are mad at her,” Reeves said. “By not paying bills
it’s not hurting Tiffany, it’s hurting township residents.”
Trustees said they want to see invoices backing up bills they’re asked to approve, and be able to “make more-informed choices,” Carlisle said.
At a township meeting last month, trustees blocked payment for businesses
or people who provided services or did work for the township, saying
Henyard’s office is still not providing them with important spending
details.
Carlisle and Trustee Chris Gonzalez claimed they requested and failed to receive invoices and statements to understand the bills.
The two trustees also expressed frustration that Henyard prevented a vote
on ordinances they wrote to increase accountability and prevent unapproved spending by the supervisor’s office.
Henyard questioned Thursday the urgency of holding a special board meeting
when the next regular meeting is set for Tuesday.
The supervisor also accused trustees of “picking and choosing who you want
to pay.”
Robert Hunt is township finance director, and trustees said they were
looking to him to give more information about bills, but Henyard insisted
they need to direct questions to Keith Price.
Price, previously identified as operating the township’s food pantry,
appears to have been tabbed by Henyard to replace Keith Freeman,
previously her top aide at the township who was fired last month.
“If you guys have questions, please talk to Keith Price,” Henyard said.
Gonzalez asked what Price’s job title is and whether he was approved by
the board, which set off an exchange with Henyard, who wouldn’t really say
what his job was.
She told Gonzalez that he “knows what his title is, he’s doing the exact
same thing Keith Freeman was doing.”
Carlisle asked whether bills could be identified by department, or whether credit cards are used.
“We’re trying to do things to make this an easier process, a more
understood process,” Carlisle said.
“Everything that they ask for, it’s for their departments, for the
residents,” Henyard said.
Carlisle said that when she first came on the board as a trustee, “I
trusted the administration, I trusted the process,” but that “moving
forward, it’s not working.”
On repealing a salary ordinance approved in November 2023, the board
sought to undue a maneuver where the township board agreed the
supervisor’s salary, now $224,000 a year, would be slashed to $25,000, but
only if someone other than Henyard holds the job.
She makes $46,000 as Dolton mayor.
Trustee Gerald “Jerry” Jones asking the board’s attorney to read the full ordinance before the vote.
Henyard denied the request and Jones read the ordinance, which was
approved on a 3-1 vote with Henyard voting “present.” Henyard said state legislators later approved legislation that canceled the salary change.
Trustees also voted 3-1 to spread township events out to more suburbs
within the township, saying many events are being held in Dolton. Henyard
said other communities, such as Riverdale, have been the location of
township event.
Carlisle said there should be “a more neutral location” for events and
“one community is not a full representation of the township.”
In the meantime, Henyard’s story displays many of the troubling hallmarks common to political life in the south suburbs. The two offices she holds
pay her a combined salary of $270,000.
mnolan@southtownstar.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/
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