Thornton Township barreling toward government shutdown, supervisor warns

Without insurance, Thornton Township won’t be able to provide critical services like free food giveaways and senior care, Supervisor Tiffany Henyard warned.

Trustees Chris Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle boycotted a special meeting on Dec. 5, 2024, leaving the township without a quorum to conduct business. The township’s currently operating without both operating budgets and property insurance.

“Now, we are in jeopardy of not being able to do the services for our residents,” Henyard said.

Earlier that morning, Carlisle emailed Clerk Loretta Wells to “request email consent” so that insurance coverage wouldn’t lapse, according to an email provided by her and Gonzalez’ spokesperson Nakita Cloud.

“I agree to Robert Hunt or the designated staff member responsible for handling the insurance renewal process signing the necessary documents,” Carlisle wrote, including Henyard, attorneys, and Hunt, the township’s finance director, in the email.

“I also consent to the payment being made to the insurance company to finalize the renewal.” Carlisle added that “the consent vote will be formally ratified at the next board meeting.”

But the state’s Open Meetings Act mandates votes on all action items on an agenda be in view of the public.

The attorney had also told the trustees that board approval has always been required for insurance.

According to emails and a timeline print out provided by Henyard and township food pantry manager Keith Price, a township attorney notified trustees three times that a “consent email” request wasn’t viable.

The contract was sent to all township officials in early November 2024 and later indicated it needed to be signed by Dec. 1, 2024. No extension would be granted, according to the document provided.

Carlisle initially made a request for a “consent email” to approve insurance on Nov. 24, 2024, according to the print out. The next day, Hunt responded, who said that he wasn’t comfortable “singing a contract or renewal for over $390,000 without board approval, especially given the current environment we are in.”

On Nov. 26, 2024, attorney Michael Del Galdo of Del Gado Law Group echoed that statement in an email to Hunt, with Carlisle included.

“DLG has always maintained that Board approval is REQUIRED to approve the annual insurance renewals,” Del Gado wrote.

The email thread also suggests that Carlise was engaging with an Alliant insurance employee separately from township attorneys and employees, who were engaged with another insurance representative at the company.

“Additionally, Trustee Carmen Carlisle mentioned that Andrew indicated board approval was not needed for this agreement. Could you clarify Andrew’s current involvement with our account?” Hunt wrote to Alliant representative Valary Lewis on Nov. 27, 2024.

“We have only been in contact with Margaret and you from the admin team regarding Thornton Township Account. Is Andrew exclusively working with Trustee Carmen Carlisle on the insurance matter of Thornton Township?”

In a presser with the news media, Henyard also reacted to caucus results.

Democratic committeeman and Illinois Senator Napoleon Harris (15th) is nominated for Supervisor. But scores of people left outside in the cold with the auditorium packed to the brim prior to door’s opening has ignited criticism that he and others stunted additional candidate nominations.

It was “election rigging, at its finest,” Henyard said. She intends to file litigation against Sen. Napoleon Harris and the Democrats of Thornton Township.