By Melanie Jongsma
The Lansing Journal
Dec. 3, 2024
Reposted with permission.
About 15 people gathered at Heritage House in South Holland Tuesday night to hold a Republican Caucus. The Republican Committee put together a slate of candidates for Thornton Township elected offices. After some waiting, some rearranging, and some recruiting, a vote was taken to approve the following:
Thornton Township Supervisor. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)
- Richard Nolan as Supervisor candidate
- David Barnes as Trustee candidate
- Jeffery Coleman as Trustee candidate
- Carl V. Dombrowski as Trustee candidate
- Kesha Richardson as Trustee candidate
- Tim DeYoung as Highway Commissioner candidate
Republican reasoning
“We wanted to make a difference,” said Supervisor Candidate Nolan about the team’s decision to run for office. “We wanted to bring in proper leadership as well as a team. We wanted to bring unity back into the community.”
Nolan is not new to public office. He has served as a member of the District 133 School Board and a Village Trustee in Riverdale. He believes those elected offices and other community roles have provided him with valuable vision and experience to bring to Thornton Township leadership. He is ready for change, and he knows others are too.
(Photo: Melanie Jongsma)
The Henyard effect
Highway Commissioner candidate Tim DeYoung has also been the Thornton Township Republican Committeeman since 2014. He says in the past 10 years he’s seen one or two Democrats join the Republican Party, but in the past two months he’s received at least 10 calls from people wanting to switch.
“It’s a unique opportunity,” says DeYoung about the 2025 elections, mainly, he said, because of the “mess” current Supervisor Tiffany Henyard has made of the place.
“We shouldn’t blindly dedicate our votes to any one particular party,” said Trustee Candidate Coleman, “if it doesn’t speak to our needs.” He’s been involved in politics “all my life,” and his father was a GOP Committeeman in Chicago.
Next steps for nominees
Around 6:40 p.m., the caucus was officially called to order and the procedures were approved. By 6:45 p.m., the suggested nominees were approved, and the Republican Caucus was over.
Committeeman DeYoung explained that the nominees will need to complete a Statement of Candidacy and some other paperwork. DeYoung will then gather and submit the team’s filings along with a Certificate of Nomination by Caucus. Submissions must happen between December 9 and 16, 2024. “The municipal clerk shall then file a Certification of Ballot (SBE Form G-1) to the election authority (county clerk or board of election commissioners) not less than 68 days (January 23, 2025) before the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election,” says the 2025 Local Election Officials Handbook.
Related
NOTE: The Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle is part of the Local News Alliance (LNA), a group of independent news organizations from the South Suburbs, including Harvey, Lansing and Park Forest. One of the ways Alliance members help each other is by sharing coverage of news that is relevant beyond our individual communities. We are grateful to the Lansing Journal for allowing us to republish this article because of its relevance to Homewood.
