On Thursday afternoon, the trustees of Thornton Township held a unique closed session during which they decided to terminate two employees placed on administrative leave the previous week. One of those terminated was Kamal Woods, the boyfriend of Supervisor Tiffany Henyard. Since Henyard did not attend the meeting, Trustees Chris Gonzalez, Carmen Carlisle, and Stephanie Wiedeman gathered in the boardroom without her.
The meeting was held privately, with the public able to observe through a livestream from a different room. This decision followed an incident from the previous week in which Henyard was seen rushing into a fight involving Woods. During this week’s session, the trustees unanimously decided to dismiss Woods from his position overseeing a program for at-risk youth in the township, citing his involvement in the altercation as a significant factor in their decision.
Woods chose not to comment on his dismissal, but trustees noted that he was already under scrutiny. In the prior week, the board had agreed to hire an independent auditor to review his work and another staff member who was also terminated during this meeting. The next township gathering is set for the following Tuesday, and it is uncertain whether the public will again be in a separate room.
