Current and former Thornton Township officials are paying tribute to longtime Trustee Joyce Washington of Dolton, who died Sunday.
“She was an incredible person,” township Trustee Christopher Gonzalez told me. “She loved township government, loved Thornton Township.”
Voters first elected Washington to the Thornton Township Board in 1997. She was in the midst of serving her seventh four-year term.
With a quarter century of service on the board, Washington was the township’s longest-serving board member when Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli died in office last year. Her role as senior trustee proved significant in March 2022 when the board appointed Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard to fill Zuccarelli’s vacancy as supervisor.
I spoke with Gonzalez Tuesday night at the Thornton Township Hall in South Holland before the board held a series of brief public hearings on proposed budgets for various township funds. A regular township board meeting scheduled for Tuesday was canceled.
“She was family, basically, for me,” Gonzalez said of Washington. “No matter what was going on, if we were having an in-depth conversation about something, she would just stop and say, ‘How’s your family? How are your mom and dad? How are the kids?'”
“She’ll be dearly missed,” Gonzalez said.
Someone placed a vase containing an arrangement of red and white roses on the dais next to Washington’s nameplate. Trustee Gerald “Jerry” Jones said Henyard, who was not present, asked that he pass along her condolences.
“Supervisor Henyard considers her a mentor, and this is truly a devastating loss, not only for this board but for the entire community of Thornton Township,” Jones said.
Washington devoted years of her life to serving the people of Thornton Township, Jones said.
“Not only do I consider Joyce Washington to have been such a tremendous colleague and friend, but an awesome person who put others before herself,” Jones said. “She was always a giving person.”
Washington especially enjoyed meeting children and senior citizens at township sponsored events, said Jim Giglio, a former township trustee who served with Washington in the early 2000s.
“We had a wonderful time working and learning together,” Giglio said. “Joyce was an advocate for the people. We had many opportunities to get out into the community in many different capacities. We had multiple functions every year that Joyce really enjoyed being at.”
I told Giglio I meant no disrespect, but I had to ask about Washington’s participation in public meetings. When the township board met on March 3, 2022, trustees faced a deadline and were deadlocked on choosing a replacement for Zuccarelli.
Washington appeared confused and disoriented. When asked to vote yes or no on a proposed appointment, she attempted to make a parliamentary motion to nominate a different appointee.
She displayed similar traits during the township’s annual town hall meeting last month. People in the audience shouted out words of direction and encouragement. Her participation in public meetings indicated she struggled at times to understand the proceedings.
“She needed help,” Giglio said. “She loved her role. She continued to do the best she could.”
I told Giglio the situation reminded me of the debate over whether U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein should step down. The California Democrat has served in the Senate since 1992. Feinstein is a revered public servant who became the first female mayor of San Francisco after then-Mayor George Moscone was assassinated in 1978.
Feinstein, 89, recently resumed attending Senate proceedings after a lengthy absence due to illness. Many have observed what they describe as diminished mental capacities and questioned whether she should resign.
Zuccarelli was a political dynamo whose sudden death created a significant power vacuum. As senior trustee, Washington assumed the interim role of deputy supervisor and her role proved to be consequential in Henyard’s ascendance to the $277,000 job of supervisor.
In a biography posted on the township’s website, Washington responded to a question about what she enjoyed most about public service.
“The best part is having the ability to be involved in the lives of children and senior citizens and having an impact,” she replied.
Her favorite township events were luncheons with senior citizens and a holiday toy giveaway for children at Christmas, according to her township biography.
Giglio said Washington was 86, though a public records search indicated she may have been 83. Efforts to reach family members for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Washington was one of four trustees serving on the township board. Gonzalez told me he believed after an appropriate period for mourning, Henyard would likely nominate someone to fill the vacancy, subject to board approval.
According to state law, if the vacancy is not filled within 60 days a special town meeting must be called and citizens, or electors, will select a replacement.
That was the situation on March 3, 2022. As the clock ticked toward midnight, the four trustees could not agree on a replacement for Zuccarelli. Gonzalez nominated township Assessor Cassandra Elston, who was Zuccarelli’s choice to become his successor.
Washington nominated Jones, but neither Jones nor Elston could get the three votes needed to secure an appointment. With minutes to spare before the position would be up for grabs in a town hall-style meeting, Henyard was nominated and appointed.
By law, a person appointed to fill the vacancy will serve the remainder of Washington’s term, which ends in 2025. Washington ran as a Democrat in 2021, so the appointee must also be a Democrat.
The person appointed to the vacancy will receive the same pay as Washington, according to state law. Washington’s total compensation for 2022 was expected to be $57,984, based on analysis of payroll records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The township has a highly unusual compensation system that rewards elected officials based on seniority. Gonzalez and Trustee Darlene Gray-Everett, both serving their first terms, each were compensated $21,744 for 2022, the payroll analysis showed.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.
tslowik@tribpub.com
