Five months out from April’s election, neither Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard nor any incumbent township trustees have announced intentions to run again for their positions.
Candidates running outside of a major party needed to file petitions by 5 p.m. Monday, and five people have thrown their hats in the ring for supervisor and six for four trustee positions. No one filed for township clerk or assessor and one person filed for highway commissioner.
The Reform Thornton Township Party filed a slate of candidates with Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark running for supervisor and Corean Davis, Rachel Jones, Dominique Randle-El and Jacinta Gholston running for trustee. Davis is Harvey city administrator and Randle-El is Harvey 5th Ward alderman.
Independent candidates for supervisor are Nate Fields, Jr., Stafford Owens and Sidney Moore.
Owens is a Thornton Township District 205 Board member. Moore, of Homewood, ran unsuccessfully for Illinois secretary of state in 2022 and said Monday he comes with experience working for multiple political campaigns.
Moore said he hopes to bring transparency and positivity back to the township of about 150,000 people after Henyard’s high profile, chaotically run administration.
“She brings on the worst of people,” Moore said about the current supervisor. “People are ashamed to live in this township now.”
Fields, 33, of South Holland, said last month that worked for the township under former Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli until his position was dissolved under Henyard. He also said he wants to improve transparency and involve the community more in township decision making.
“I’m hoping the community that is outraged about how Tiffany is acting is going to get up now and say, ‘OK, choose him now,’ because I need to get up and make a difference now,” Fields said.
Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark at a June 2023 City Council meeting. (Mike Nolan/Daily Southtown)
While Henyard and the incumbent trustees did not file, major party candidates in township elections can be determined by caucus, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
That means Thornton Township voters may not know whether their supervisor will be on their April ballot until Dec. 3, a stark difference from Dolton, where Henyard began campaigning last month for reelection for mayor and filed in the Democratic primary against village Trustee Jason House
Township Trustees Chris Gonzalez, Carmen Carlisle and Darlene Gray Everett also have not disclosed their plans. Last month, Gerald Jones resigned as trustee, and a vote on his interim replacement is on the agenda for a board meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
Federal investigators have, since this spring, delivered subpoenas seeking records about Henyard, people affiliated with her and organizations under her control at Dolton Village Hall and the Thornton Township Hall in South Holland, as well as at Thornton Township High School District 205.
The Illinois Board of Elections website states most townships in Illinois use the caucus method of nominating established party candidates for township office.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
