Months of complaints and threats regarding Thornton Township Trustees Chris Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle refusing to attend scheduled meetings led Supervisor Tiffany Henyard to file a lawsuit Friday.

Henyard’s mandamus complaint intends to force Gonzalez and Carlisle to attend Township Board meetings through order of the Cook Count circuit court.

Henyard’s attorney, Max Solomon, is also representing Henyard in a lawsuit brought against Thornton Township Democrats after she failed to obtain the party’s nomination for supervisor in the April township election. Solomon did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Gonzalez and Carlisle have spoken out about skipping or walking out of many board meetings called from October to as recently as Dec. 30 due to lack of information about proposals pushed by Henyard. The Oct. 7 resignation of Trustee Gerald Jones meant Gonzalez and Carlisles’ absences on the now four-person board prevent meetings from having a quorum and thus, from coming to order.

The lawsuit says continued lack of quorum has prevented Thornton Township from conducting important business and meeting requirements laid out in the Illinois Township Code. In recent weeks, the township has had to reduce, and in some cases cease services, due to lack of insurance coverage for employees, buildings and vehicles, Henyard said.

The lawsuit states meetings of the Township Board are mandated by the Illinois Township Code and needed for day-to-day operations of Thornton Township, “including the management and compensation of staff and employees, and most importantly, to the smooth uninterrupted flow of the vital and essential services that Thornton Township provides to its residents, including its senior citizens.”

Gonzalez said Tuesday he has not yet been served or discussed the lawsuit with Carlisle, but said it represents Henyard “having a temper tantrum” and will be thrown out by the courts.

On its merits, Gonzalez said the lawsuit fails to include important details of his participation at two meetings, one of which was not called to order due to a location dispute, even though he was in the building. Another he walked out of after voting on several items. The lawsuit simply states that Gonzalez and Carlisle both “deliberately, intentionally, and purposefully” missed eight regular and special meetings between Oct. 8 and Dec. 30.

The lawsuit’s filing came ahead of a board meeting scheduled Tuesday night at the Thornton Township Hall with a similar agenda as meetings called by Henyard in the past month. As of Tuesday afternoon, Gonzalez would not say whether he would attend that meeting, but made clear the lawsuit would not influence his decision.

“This is all desperation — kind of a last-ditch effort to try and get a few things done or whatever,” Gonzalez said. “We didn’t come this far just to back down just because of threats or things like that. I mean, that would be the silliest thing we could do, to be like, ‘OK, now you got us.’”

Another factor in the ongoing standoff between Henyard and the two trustees is a recently scheduled public hearing to vote in a new trustee, finally replacing Jones on the board. Thornton Township residents who are registered to vote will be able to nominate their own candidate Jan. 21 to serve on the board until the April 1 election.

The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. at South Suburban College’s athletic fieldhouse, 15800 S. State St., in South Holland, according to the public notice. Gonzalez said he is confident voters will choose someone critical of the supervisor and her administration, as Henyard has drawn significant community opposition over lack of transparency and general abuse of power.

But whatever the outcome, Gonzalez said, after someone is chosen to fill that seat, residents can expect an end to the months long standoff, as the voters will have spoken as to which side they stand with — either Henyard or trustees.

ostevens@chicagotribune .com