New era for Thornton Township? Napoleon Harris replaces Tiffany Henyard as Supervisor 250519

On May 19, 2025, Senator Napoleon Harris was officially sworn in as Supervisor of Thornton Township, marking a highly anticipated leadership transition following the tenure of Tiffany Henyard. The installation ceremony, held at Thornton Township headquarters, also included oaths of office for the newly elected trustees, highway commissioner, assessor, and clerk.

The Lansing Journal was on site to document the event as part of our commitment to covering local government with accuracy and context.

Time stamps for this video:
0:00 - Introduction and context by Publisher Melanie Jongsma and Managing Editor Carole Sharwarko
4:30 - The outgoing board holds a brief special meeting to wrap up business
10:15 - Adjournment Sine Die of the outgoing board
10:47 - Fast forward through 45 minutes of waiting for the swearing-in
12:32 - Senator Napoleon Harris greets the public
14:52 - Justice Carl Walker swears in the Trustees
19:37 - Trustee Mary Avent makes a speech
20:10 - Trustee Chris Gonzalez makes a speech
22:13 - Trustee Byron Stanley makes a speech
23:02 - Trustee Valeria Stubbs makes a speech
24:59 - Justice Walker swears in the Highway Commissioner
26:02 - Commissioner Antwon Russell makes a speech
31:37 - Justice Walker swears in the Assessor
33:55 - Assessor Cassandra Elston makes a speech
35:56 - Justice Walker swears in the Clerk
37:02 - Clerk Casey Nesbit makes a speech
41:03 - Justice Walker shares personal reflections about Napoleon Harris before swearing him into office
44:33 - Supervisor Napoleon Harris makes a speech
53:29 - Supervisor Harris calls the first board meeting to order
54:10 - The board appoints new attorney, administrator, and IT director
55:07 - Supervisor Harris acknowledges outgoing public servants
1:02:01 - Supervisor Harris acknowledges elected officials in attendance at the meeting
1:09:45 - Public comment by Vivian Allen
1:11:29 - Public comment by Adolphus Kindle
1:14:04 - Public comment, speaker unknown
1:16:00 - Public comment by Cook County Commissioner Kisha McCaskill
1:19:37 - Public comment by Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan
1:23:15 - Public comment by Trustee Mary Avent
1:24:32 - Adjournment

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Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard once consumed a lot of our reporting time, and we appreciate the viewers and subscribers who joined us during that era in our local history. We especially appreciate those who recognize that Henyard's drama was not truly representative of our community. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — important stories that are often overlooked by larger media. Make sure you receive all the local news The Lansing Journal publishes, not just the videos! Subscribe to The Lansing Journal's Daily News email: https://thelansingjournal.com/subscri...

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