Two Thornton Township trustees blocked funding Tuesday for businesses or people who provided services or did work for the township, saying Supervisor Tiffany Henyard’s office is still not providing them with important spending details.
Trustees Carmen Carlisle and Chris Gonzalez also expressed frustration that Henyard, who is also mayor of Dolton, prevented a vote on ordinances they wrote to increase accountability and prevent unapproved spending by the supervisor’s office.
“It was to put an organizational structure and responsible spending in place, and since those ordinances were not placed on the agenda, I don’t feel comfortable supporting the spending,” Carlisle said Tuesday.
Trustees previously denied funding to specific vendors in June, but later called a special meeting to ensure they received payment.
Discussion Tuesday morphed into a sparring match with Henyard and members of her administration on one side and Carlisle and Gonzalez on the other. Trustee Gerald Jones was absent, so each measure came to a deadlock with Trustee Darlene Gray Everett siding with Henyard.
“Where is it not responsible spending?” Henyard asked. “You need to point it out. Because you’re saying that and have no evidence of that, just saying things.”
But Carlisle and Gonzalez claimed they have requested and failed to receive invoices and statements to understand the bills they are asked to approve. Henyard and members of her administration, including Keith Price, who manages the township’s food pantry, pushed back with allegations that Carlisle harassed township staff by repeatedly requesting information. They said nobody was trying to hide any information.
“Residents, when you see this, you’re out in the public and you see why grass is not being cut, it’s due to your trustees playing ‘poli-tricks’ once again,” Henyard said.
Gonzalez later told members of the media that trustees could call a special session to “take a good look at the bills” and potentially pass the ordinances not called during regular meetings. However, at least three trustees would have to be present to conduct business.
“They’re just holding hostages, using pawns to employees and the vendors; that’s just the bottom line,” Gonzalez said. “We could have ended the conversation today if they would have just said, ‘Hey, come in Monday morning, and we’ll have everything you want’ … but obviously, that’s not the case.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com