Clash between Trustees, Henyard over remote participation derails budget, ethics policy votes
THORNTON TOWNSHIP – A contentious dispute over remote participation led to an abrupt halt of Tuesday night’s Thornton Township Board meeting, leaving critical budget and ethics policy decisions unresolved. Tensions ran high as a disagreement between Supervisor Tiffany Henyard and board trustees resulted in an unexpected walkout.
With only three board members physically in attendance, Trustees Chris Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle needed Supervisor Henyard’s approval to allow Trustee Stephanie Wiedeman to join via Zoom. Wiedeman was absent due to a "child care conflict," according to Carlisle. However, Henyard rejected the request, citing the township’s in-person meeting policy.
“You cannot go via Zoom if you do not have an illness or anything like that,” Henyard stated before voting against Wiedeman’s participation. “Our meetings are in person and everybody should be here to take care of the business.”
Despite Henyard’s stance, Township Attorney Tiffany Nelson-Jaworski, who was also attending remotely, pushed back, arguing that child care conflicts are a valid reason for remote participation under the Open Meetings Act.
“I do believe that she has a valid reason under the Open Meetings Act,” Nelson-Jaworski told the board.
This meeting marked Henyard’s first public appearance since her overwhelming defeat in the Democratic primary for Dolton mayor. Dolton Trustee Jason House secured 88% of the Democratic vote on Feb. 25, effectively ending Henyard’s reelection bid. She has not publicly addressed the loss beyond cryptic social media posts.
“Trust the process. Watch my comeback. Stay tuned,” Henyard wrote on Facebook on Feb. 27. “Wait y’all thought I was finish — hell no.”
Compounding the turmoil, Henyard remains under federal investigation, with subpoenas delivered last spring to Dolton Village Hall and Thornton Township offices. She is currently running as a write-in candidate for a full term as township supervisor after being blocked from the Democratic caucus, which instead selected state Sen. Napoleon Harris as their nominee.
Henyard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Southtown.
The board was set to discuss the township’s 2025 budget, which had already been postponed at the last two meetings. Last month, trustees presented a revised proposal that they claimed balanced the budget, countering previous versions put forth by Henyard, which they argued were financially unsound.
The proposed budget outlines $13.3 million in expenses, with significant allocations including $5.8 million for administration, $1.8 million for senior services, and $1.7 million for community outreach and engagement. In comparison, the 2024 budget reported $16 million in revenue and approximately $15 million in expenditures. Budget documents are available for public review at thorntontownship.com.
Additionally, the board planned to introduce new ethics-related policies aimed at increasing accountability among township officials. Among these proposals were a "whistleblower protection policy" and an updated ethics ordinance.
However, with the meeting cut short, these critical matters remain unresolved. The township now faces further delays in addressing its financial and ethical governance.