Thornton Township needs more variety than entertainment

Harvey’s Ruby Donahue has been with Thornton Township Government for many years and is concerned about the direction the township is headed.

“The image of the township has been tarnished,” Donoghue said. “I went to every municipality and talked to people individually. Many of them are not happy with what is happening in this town.”

Donahue addressed the audience during a public comment session at the Thornton Township Board meeting in South Holland on Tuesday. She criticized the board for appearing to prioritize promoting festivals and other events over providing food and other assistance to the hungry.

“When I talk to other people, they say, ‘We don’t want to go there,'” she said. “They aren’t interested in the weekly bingo game. They want to know how to pay the bills. They want to know about the budget.”

Donahue is a longtime member of the Township’s Human Relations Committee. Volunteers representing many of her 15 communities within the township are on the committee.

Longtime township superintendent Frank Zuccarelli, who died unexpectedly in January, encouraged the committee to sponsor programs for people to get involved in the community. The Township’s Commission has partnered with Thornton Township High School District 205, South His Suburban College, and others in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Donahue said he believes the people involved in Township activities are less diverse than they were when Zuccarelli was overseer.

“We need to bring people of all ethnicities to this town, not just African Americans,” Donahue said. “To increase the diversity of our town, we need to look in another direction.”

Thornton Township officials claimed for years that it was the state’s largest township by population. But that may no longer be the case, as many communities have lost significant numbers of their residents over the past decade.

Harvey lost 4,958 inhabitants between 2010 and 2020, a 19.6% decline to 20,324, according to the Census. Riverdale lost 21.3% of her population, down 2,886 to her 10,663.

“We used to be top Illinois,” Donahue said. “Well, what do we have to offer?”

Includes all or part of Blue Island, Burnham, Calumet City, Dixmoor, Dalton, East Hazel Crest, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Lansing, Markham, Phoenix, Riverdale, South Holland and Thornton.

Thornton Township continues to be an important asset, especially for Democrats in Illinois and Cook County. Voters tend to vote. Zuccarelli’s political clout is formidable, and Township remains an important voting bloc.

The township’s newly appointed Democratic Commissioner, Napoleon Harris, State Senator D-Harvey, saw his popularity on the charts when he recently met for the first time with the Democratic Commissioner representing Chicago’s 50th borough and Cook County’s 30th township. said he was out of

“Thornton Township has a good reputation,” he said at a party in Dalton. “People were lining up to speak to me. The U.S. Senator was made in Thornton Township. The President was made in Thornton Township. Thornton Township is the starting point.”

While the township may have maintained its political luster, the township’s government appears to have waned in recent months, said Donoghue. He appointed Dalton Mayor Tiffany Henyard to serve the remainder of his term.

“They say the town isn’t the same,” Donahue said of the people she spoke with across town. .”

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Donahue addressed a large audience at the township’s annual town meeting in April. Many township officials at the time spoke out in support of Henyard.

Thornton Township Clerk Loretta Wells (left) speaks with township supervisor Tiffany Henyard during a township board break in South Holland on March 22, 2022. (Ted Slowwick/Daily Southtown)

Henyard remains a controversial figure for playing the dual role of mayor and town manager. After campaigning with promises of reform, she was elected mayor. But the Dalton village government is in a stalemate, with Henyard embroiled in a legal battle with a majority of the board over hiring, spending and other practices.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, some residents and former township employees have expressed similar concerns about the township government’s control of Henyard. Some have criticized Township on social media for spending money on the band.

Donahue believes the township can reorient itself by returning to its roots of serving essential needs, such as feeding and sheltering people, rather than putting on entertainment. A good start would be to reach out to the mayor and get a more diverse representation of township residents participating in the program.

“I think we can handle a lot,” Donoghue said. “I think we can improve by working with local governments.”

Ted Slowik is a columnist for Daily Southtown.

tslowik@tribpub.com