Thornton Township seeking state's approval for remote meetings after board meeting brawl

THORNTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. - After a fight broke out at last week’s Thornton Township board meeting, the board’s attorney is asking the state for permission to hold meetings remotely.

Request for Remote Meetings 

What we know:

Township attorney Michael Del Galdo sent a letter this week to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, requesting a waiver of the Open Meetings Act to allow meetings to be held on Zoom.

Del Galdo said the board believes remote meetings are necessary given the township’s current political climate. The board is led by Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard.

‘We Are Concerned’

What they're saying:

"We are concerned not only for the safety of the public, but for reporters who attend, for elected officials and staff themselves that there would be a repeat of what occurred last Tuesday, which was a fight, to understate it. It was more than a fight and it could have been a real catastrophe. So, we're asking for the governor to allow for remote meetings," Del Galdo said. 

What's next:

The board’s attorney is requesting remote meetings until May 19, when a newly-elected township board will be sworn in.

So far, neither Pritzker nor Raoul has responded.

The next Thornton Township board meeting is in three weeks.