Thornton Township administrators appear to have abruptly fired several longtime employees, prompting criticism that the terminations were politically motivated.
Township officials notified seven employee of their terminations in person during a meeting Jan. 13 and at least two others via letters sent to their homes that day, according to interviews and documents shared on social media.
The township did not respond to multiple requests this week for information and comments about the situation.
While the township apparently dismissed at least nine people, it simultaneously posted job openings for 11 new positions on its website. Alexandra Muse, 32, is a mother of two who is expecting her third child in June. She worked for the township for about 10 years, she said.
Muse said she and six others were called into a meeting at 12:45 p.m. Jan. 13 and notified of their dismissals by Keith Freeman, who is a senior adviser to Supervisor Tiffany Henyard. Freeman also is village administrator for Dolton, where Henyard is mayor.
The Township Board appointed Henyard March 3 to the $277,000-a-year supervisor job to fill a vacancy created by the sudden death of Frank Zuccarelli Jan. 3, 2022.
“It felt like, ‘Let’s get rid of Frank’s people,'” Muse told me.
Payroll records previously obtained by the Daily Southtown through a Freedom of Information Act request showed Muse worked as an administrative assistant and manager of special projects.
Muse said she informed the township in writing Jan. 12, the day before the mass firings, of her intent to use accrued sick time off and short-term disability during her planned maternity leave.
“Like most things they do, the firings felt very unplanned,” Muse said. “They got together people from several different departments — transportation, IT (information technology) — and did it all at one time. It felt tacky.”
Muse said Freeman told the seven employees the township was eliminating their positions due to financial hardships.
“It would seem like if budgets were an issue, different decisions would be made,” Muse said. “If there’s financial hardship, let’s not give out free meals and have parties every week.”
Several factors prompt questions about whether the firings were legal, while other considerations have drawn criticism that the mass layoffs were improper and unprofessional.
First, there appears to be no record the township board acted on an administration request to eliminate existing positions or approve postings for new positions. January is in the middle of the fiscal year, meaning the board previously had approved funding the terminated positions for at least another six months.
“It’s absolutely political retaliation,” said Jim Giglio, a former Thornton Township trustee who has publicly criticized Henyard’s management. “She does things on a whim.”
Henyard’s critics have publicly and repeatedly accused her of misusing taxpayer resources for political gain. She throws lavish parties, provides catered meals, stages events and spends money on promotions that critics say are efforts to woo voters and reward loyal supporters with jobs.
Henyard seems more concerned about cultivating her personal image than serving the citizens of Dolton and Thornton Township.
Amid the firings, the township posted on its website that it was seeking applicants for marketing manager, staff photographer, executive assistant, social media team, public relations manager, municipal communications coordinator, senior communications coordinator, youth communications coordinator, special events manager, township editor and event planner.
None of the positions included information about job descriptions or minimal requirements, just links to a generic employment application.
Critics have publicly accused Henyard of exacting political revenge upon subordinates perceived as insufficiently loyal to advancing her political aspirations.
“This was completely politically planned,” Giglio said. “She has leaks on the inside and she’s trying to eliminate the leaks.”
In my experience covering local government for more than 30 years, boards of elected officials typically approve or deny administrator requests to hire or fire people. Boards may discuss personnel issues in closed session but their votes to approve hirings and firings must be done in public.
“The board has to answer sometime for everything going on,” Giglio said.
Unlike in Dolton, where a Village Board majority has publicly and repeatedly confronted Henyard over transparency and accountability concerns, Thornton Township trustees seem to have refrained from publicly challenging Henyard’s authority.
The mass dismissals seem reminiscent of President Richard Nixon’s infamous Saturday Night Massacre on Oct. 20, 1973 during the Watergate scandal. Nixon ordered his attorney general and a deputy to fire a special prosecutor investigating him for corruption, but they refused and resigned instead.
Perhaps the Thornton Township dismissal of at least nine employees deserves an equally notorious name like the Friday the 13th Massacre.
I received no responses to multiple requests for comment this week from Henyard, Freeman and Robert Hunt, township finance director. I asked whether the administration sought board approval for the cuts and job postings.
I asked whether job descriptions existed for the new positions. I asked how much the township expected to save by eliminating the existing positions and for specifics on vague “financial hardships” that the township claims to be enduring.
Numerous citizens have publicly stated the township’s finances were sound under Zuccarelli’s leadership and questioned how the same township could be experiencing financial difficulties under Henyard’s reign.
I asked township officials to respond to public criticism that the firings and job postings were politically motivated and how the township could justify posting a bunch of new jobs while abruptly firing nearly a dozen people.
Dismissed employees indicated in public posts on social media they were not told about the new positions or asked if they would be interested in applying for the jobs.
Just last week, the Township Board voted to place a referendum on April ballots asking voters to approve an annual $90 tax hike for owners of a $200,000 home to fund mental health services.
Henyard and the township would seem to have a tough time selling the tax hike while appearing to ignore requests for information about how the township is spending the taxpayer money it already has.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.
