THORNTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. — Thornton Township called a special meeting Thursday night, a meeting supervisor Tiffany Henyard called “click bait.”
As the meeting was set to begin, Henyard said she wanted media to cover an event downstairs, which she described as “big bingo.”
“I’m advising you to make a U-turn and go downstairs cause you come for click bait,” Henyard said.
The meeting was organized hours after Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza suspended funds to the south suburban town of Dolton, where Henyard is also mayor and is being accused of mismanaging taxpayer funds.
Minutes after the meeting got underway, conversations turned combative.
“Why aren’t you paying the staff? We don’t ever do an agenda like this,” Henyard said. “Picking and choosing who you want to pay. All this fluff you selling to the public is crap.”
Trustees went on to list several agenda items during the meeting, like approving the payments of several vendor bills, ordinances to establish travel guidelines, regulate budget approvals, and establish a 30-day policy on credit card purchases.
“I need you guys to stop doing click bait. I am tired of you guys putting on a show,” Henyard said as the meeting rolled on.
The self-proclaimed “Super Mayor” questioned why a special meeting was called multiple times, when the Thornton Township Board of Trustees was already set to meet next week.
Trustees at the meeting said it was due to breakdowns in communication between trustees and the administration.
“I’m learning, but I will say I didn’t ask questions because I trusted the process,” said Thornton Township trustee Carmen Carlisle. “And the moment I didn’t trust the process, I started asking questions.”
During the meeting, some residents praised Henyard, while others shared their concerns.
“It saddens me that everyone wants to crucify you, like everyone has horns,” said one resident. “This lady is so wonderful. I don’t see her doing anything wrong.”
“Our town, which is part of Thornton township, has been devastated and decimated by the current administration,” said another resident. “All you have to do is look at the patterns.”
By the conclusion of the special meeting, several agenda items were approved, while others were tabled for township meeting scheduled for next week.