Residents of several south suburban communities united Saturday to push for accountability and transparency in how their tax dollars are spent.
“We want people to know what’s going on so we can try to stop this,” said Mary Avant, a retired police officer who lives in Dolton. Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard is also supervisor of the township, which has a population of approximately 158,000 and covers 17 communities.
Dolton’s government has been marred by accusations of improper spending, lawsuits and investigations. The township also was named in a lawsuit filed by Henyard’s former aide and a Dolton police officer, both of whom allege abuse and retaliation.
“She put us in this situation, the only way for us to get out of it is to get out of it,” Avant said. “People need to stand up and stop complaining about each other.”
Avant and other residents, including Ryan Sinwelski of Harvey, joined together for Saturday’s “Take Back Our Township” rally.
“We hope to create positive momentum and connect with other people,” he said. “Many of us, at the cantonal and municipal level, suffer from a lack of transparency. We do not know how our tax money is spent.”
Thornton Township Trustee Christopher Gonzalez was also in attendance.
“I have pretty much the same questions as everyone else, but beyond that, we’re all citizens just trying to get answers,” Gonzalez said.
NBC Chicago reached out to Thornton Township for a statement on the gathering, but had not received a response as of Saturday evening.
NBC Chicago
