Illinois township trustees seek audit amid questions over spending

THORNTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. — Trustees in an Illinois township with a controversial supervisor are asking for an auditor to step in as they question money being spent on credit cards for events, amid their focus to rein in spending.

“I am the leader for Thornton Township, I am the supervisor for Thornton Township and I’m going to make sure y’all give me my respect and stop playing these games every time you come to the meeting. I need you to please put some respect on my name,” embattled Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard said during Tuesday night’s contentious meeting.

The meeting began with scrutiny over spending on publicly funded events, like gospel night and bingo.

“When bingo was presented, it was presented that all prizes were donated, but that is not the case. The prizes for bingo are being purchased by Thornton Township, and now there’s a question as to whether each person is receiving a gift, or a prize over $600, should fill out a 1099 form,” Thornton Township Trustee Carmen Carlisle said.

Another event that has been under the microscope is the Taste of Thornton Township. NewsNation affiliate WGN obtained records that show a total cost of at least $85,000 for entertainment and other expenses.

“All those things are already spent, already approved, when everybody was cool, now all of a sudden it’s not cool to pay the bills. Make it make sense guys,” Henyard said.

Trustees also passed a motion to audit the credit cards and spending of former Township Administrator Keith Freeman and Trustee Carmen Carlisle, Henyard’s former assistant.

“I have no problem sitting down and talking to investigators about any of the purchases I made on behalf of Thornton Township, or supervisor Henyard, and the multiple trips I booked for her, the expensive, the hotel suites, the first-class flights, the expensive dinners,” Carlisle said.

Henyard wanted trustees to hire a forensic auditor to go back 10 years and look at all township spending, but the trustees voted to look back only three years.

There was also a mention of asking former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate here as well, after her probe in the town of Dolton.

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