Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard disagrees with the board’s decision on appointing Stephanie Wiedeman as interim trustee.

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (WLS) — Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard is responding to the appointment of a new interim trustee.

Stephanie Wiedeman was selected to fill the vacant position during a special meeting Tuesday night.

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Henyard was not in attendance at the meeting.

Henyard expressed her dismay over the recent events and believes that the rules outlined in the township code were not adhered to during the selection process for a new trustee.

Trustee Chris Gonzalez said they consulted with attorneys, and Wiedeman said all the steps taken were legal.

Despite the trustee position remaining vacant since October, a quick decision was made by electors gathered at a South Holland fieldhouse, resulting in a clear choice being made.

Following a majority vote during a special meeting on Tuesday night, Wiedeman was selected to fill the vacant trustee position at Thornton Township with immediate effect. She emerged victorious over two other nominees. Wiedeman had previously held a position under the former administration of Thornton Township starting from 2003, but was dismissed by Henyard upon the latter assuming office three years ago.

“You don’t pour your entire adult life into 17 communities for somebody else to come in, and watch it fall apart,” Wiedeman said.

“She was already on the inside, and she’s more familiar with it. I don’t know why she fired her in the first place,” said Thornton Township elector Randy Smith.

Getting to this point has been contentious, for months, with Trustees Chris Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle skipping out on meetings, fearing Henyard would appoint one of her allies to fill the vacancy.

That resulted in a local government shutdown. Bus services have been paused, township buildings have been locked down and insurance policies have been left unpaid.

“We might have to wait until the next regular board meeting, but we’re hoping to get all of that stuff going as soon as we could,” Gonzalez said.

Wiedeman will fill the trustee position until May after the April 1 election. It is an election she says she does not plan to run in.

READ MORE | Tiffany Henyard says Thornton Twp. shutdown protocols in place: ‘I am your Rosa Parks’ | EXCLUSIVE