Thornton Township trustees stage walk out, halting key votes ahead of vacancy appointment

Thornton Township failed to vote on any agenda items during its Jan. 14 meeting after trustees Chris Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle walked out, effectively halting proceedings.

Establishing the board’s first quorum since Dec. 20, 2024, Supervisor Tiffany Henyard began the meeting with roll call and a prayer that was disrupted by heckling audience members. After Henyard scolded the crowd, Gonzalez interjected, despite Henyard’s reminder that he did not have the floor.

“I’d like to say a few words before we get started,” Gonzalez said, followed by cheers from attendees. “We cannot and we will not move backwards. We have not come this far to stop what we’ve got going on now. I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight, and we’ll see everyone next week.”

Carlisle then declared the meeting adjourned. Gonzalez seconded the motion, before the two walked out the township building. Carlisle and Gonzalez issued a statement following, citing “a lack of proper insurance coverage” as the cause for the sudden adjournment. The trustees emailed Henyard before the meeting sharing their concerns, including Henyard’s “inability to compromise on essential township matters” and “continued alienation of board members,” the Lansing Journal reported.

“As a result, Supervisor Henyard’s prolonged irrational behavior has led board members to boycott her personal agenda,” the statement read. “Our commitment remains to the responsible governance of Thornton Township.”

But the move to leave early was largely an effort to stunt their removal: Carlisle and Gonzalez have missed four regular meetings in protest. Should they miss five, they could be removed from the board, in accordance with the township code.

Their sudden departure marked another instance of the trustees’ ongoing boycott of Henyard, which has intensified ahead of the upcoming special meeting on Jan. 21 where electors will fill a vacant seat. Henyard condemned the trustees’ abrupt move and the attendees who continued cheering them on before telling them to leave. Four days prior, she filed a complaint in court, seeking a judge to mandate the two to show up to meetings.

“Call the police! We don’t have a board meeting. Y’all can exit,” Henyard repeated, motioning the crowd out of the room. “The board has left, so we have nothing to do.”

The walkout left several critical agenda items unresolved: a $2.2 million property tax refund proposal, bonuses for township staff, and credit card authorizations for the IT and senior services departments. 

“We had a lot of important things on this agenda…So why do [the trustees] keep running from that?” Henyard said. “Why not vote for anything on this agenda that is for the people?”

The board was also to consider 2024 tax levy ordinance and new insurance policies. The former should have been approved last year but the board is now barreling toward a new deadline, Jan. 31. The latter lapsed last year, also, and the township has pulled back on services since it’s operating without insurance.

Keith Price, Vice President of the Harvey Public Library District board, criticized the trustees’ actions, emphasizing the potential impact on vulnerable residents, namely seniors.

“For [Carlisle and Gonzalez] to walk out knowing that insurance is on the agenda and that everybody’s jobs are at stake, and to play with the seniors’ lives — we have people that depend on the township for getting to their doctors, for their chemo,” Price said, “for their dialysis, for just their regular checkups, for their rides to the stores to get groceries. Unfortunately, to see people cheering is disheartening.”

Not all attendees shared Price’s perspective. 

South Holland resident Corey Stepney supported the trustees’ walkout and placed blame squarely on Henyard. “Each meeting that I come to, [Henyard] is the problem. If [the trustees] don’t want her here, she needs to leave,” Stepney said. “It’s a political tug, and it’s hurting the people. Sooner or later, South Holland is going to be the next Harvey.”

The meeting was held at Thornton Township hall in South Holland. Township officials previously said people could not be in the building without insurance. The board held the previous three meetings in other locations, as a result.