Thornton Township residents fed up with allegations of financial impropriety and a lack of transparency from Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, have taken to the old Sears parking lot at River Oaks Center looking for change. In a grassroots effort, they're mobilizing to seek accountability and potentially a new leader, as residents accuse Henyard of engaging in lavish trips, awarding questionable contracts, and murky financial management of township funds, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Henyard, who also serves as the mayor of Dolton, reportedly oversees a supervisor salary that soared to $224,000 under her predecessor, substantially higher than the usual sub-$50,000 benchmark for Cook County. When she pushed through the annual budget earlier this month without written details, locals' outcry intensified, raising questions about the opaque expenditure of township tax revenue responsible for services like road maintenance and social services, according to the Tribune.
At the rally, Mary Avent, chairperson of the Advisory Committee to the People’s Trustees of Dolton, called for unity among the citizens of the township's 17 communities, advocating for an investigation into the finances of the township, hinting that high taxes were not translating into public service improvements. "Our taxes are outrageous — have some of the highest taxes. And why are we paying these high taxes? We’re not getting anything," Avent said in a statement obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
Recently, the rocky management style of Henyard also drew the attention of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was hired to investigate claims against her. Meanwhile, the FBI has shined its light on Dolton, with Village administrator Keith Freeman facing federal bankruptcy fraud charges and federal agents spotted inside village hall last week, CBS reported. Adding to the Township's woes, Dolton residents are coming to grips with the reality as Henyard makes headlines, this time around for the wrong reasons.
Gardis Watts, a South Holland resident, expressed discontent at the latest developments, citing how the township has been reduced to a venue for "bingo parlor, parties and different other things," instead of focusing on its community services.
