In SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. It’s possible that the ongoing government shutdown at Thornton Township could come to an end soon, with the approval of crucial items by the board on Tuesday night.
The meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. marks the first one after the appointment of a new Thornton Township trustee, Stephanie Wiedeman. Wiedeman was selected last week in a meeting of township electors, filling a position that had remained vacant due to a prolonged political standoff.
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For several months, two trustees had been deliberately skipping meetings to prevent a quorum, thereby blocking Supervisor Tiffany Henyard from appointing an ally to fill the vacant trustee position.
But Tuesday night, with a quorum expected, the board could finally approve the township’s tax levy ordinance and insurance, perhaps lifting that government shutdown.
This meeting comes the day after former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered a scathing report to Dolton’s board of trustees, alleging a pattern of mismanagement and deception by Henyard, who is also Dolton’s mayor. Henyard’s attorney has not commented on the report.
Lightfoot said Henyard and members of her administration have routinely kept Dolton trustees in the dark about large expenditures including for travel, meals at local restaurants and purchases at various retailers.
And Lightfoot says her months-long investigation uncovered similar practices in Thornton Township.
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