Public eventually allowed into Thornton Township meeting – Supervisor Henyard absent

Without Supervisor Henyard, Trustee Jerry Jones serves as “Chair Pro Tem”

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (February 28, 2024) – After initially being denied access, the public was eventually allowed to witness the February 27 Thornton Township Board meeting, which proceeded despite the absence of Supervisor Tiffany Henyard.

Initial lockout

After the exterior doors to township headquarters were unlocked at 5:54 p.m., just six minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, security directed media and members of the public downstairs. The board meetings take place in the board room, which is on the upstairs level.

In the lower level, a TV was set up that included a live audio and video feed of upstairs proceedings. On the feed, many open seats could be seen in the board room.

At around 6:08 p.m., the meeting had not yet started, and security told the media and the two attending members of the public they could come to the main board room meeting.

“They can come on up,” one of the guards said to the other. “That’s what he said. I’m getting this from Trustee Jerry Jones.”

After attendees made their way upstairs, Jones told The Lansing Journal he made the directive to allow the public in, but declined to comment on why he did so. When asked if he knew why the public was denied access to the February 13 meeting, he said, “I have no idea.”

Supervisor Henyard absent

The meeting was called to order at 6:18 p.m. Trustees Jerry Jones, Carmen Carlisle, and Chris Gonzales were present in person, and Trustee Darlene Gray Everett joined by phone. Supervisor Tiffany Henyard was absent.

The board voted to appoint Trustee Jones as the “Chair Pro Tempore” for the meeting, to serve as the chairperson in Henyard’s absence.

When voting to approve the minutes from February 13’s meeting, Gonzales voted “no,” and said after the meeting that he did so because the public and media weren’t allowed access to the meeting.

“It had nothing to do with a problem in the meeting itself, it was how they kept the public out,” Gonzales said.

Approval of Bills

Gonzalez was also the sole dissenting vote to approve bills for both the General Fund and General Assistance Fund. He said after the meeting that the General Fund bills had been sent to him earlier that day, but he was unable to access the document.

“I didn’t get a chance to really go over it,” he said. “On average, there could be 400 or 500 things, and many times when I sit down, it’s the first time I’ve seen it, and there’s just no way.”

During the meeting, Gonzalez asked if anyone knew the purpose of five payments, each $10,000, paid to “Cornerstone Government Affairs.” Jones said he did not know, and said the question would be best directed to Finance Director Robert Hunt, who was not present at the meeting.

“That’s quite a bit of money, and if I would have gotten an answer to my question, my other question would be are there more [of those bills] coming?” Gonzales said after the meeting.

Gonzalez did join the majority in voting to approve the Road and Bridge Fund bills. He asked a clarifying question to Highway Commissioner Geary Depue, which Depue answered.

Toward the end of the meeting, Clerk Loretta Wells reminded those in attendance that early voting for the presidential primary election starts on March 4.

The 11-minute meeting adjourned at 6:29 p.m.

The Thornton Township Board is scheduled to meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. at Thornton Township Headquarters, located at 333 E. 162nd Street in South Holland.

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