We return now to the saga of Thornton Township Supervisor and Mayor of Dolton, Ill., Tiffany Henyard, and the extraordinary personal malfeasance and financial impropriety she is responsible for.
When last we left our villainess, she was being investigated by a panel headed up by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (no joke). Lightfoot's investigation found that Henyard had "blatantly disregarded the purchasing policy of Dolton Village and the larger township by racking up excessive spending that left the municipality in deficit and that she attempted to hide its dire financial state," according to a report from FOX 32 Chicago.
The town had a budget balance of $5.61 million in 2022 that shrank to a $3.65 million deficit by 2024. Wild spending on friends, a million dollars spent in overtime for her personal security supplied by Dolton police, first-class trips to Vegas, and over $700,000 in credit card debt were just some of the financial "irregularities" discovered by Lightfoot's investigation.
"At least as early as late 2021, there was a concerted, systematic effort on behalf of Mayor Henyard and others in her administration to hide the true financial condition of the Village of Dolton from the trustees and from members of the public," Lightfoot said.
"By March 2022, the trustees were effectively cut off from receiving regular financial reports," Lightfoot added.
Henyard knew exactly how to respond.
“Lori Lightfoot is a failed mayor whose fiscal irresponsibility was overwhelming,” Attorney Beau Brindly said. “The idea that any credibility could be given to her ‘findings’ about another mayor’s financial decisions is preposterous.”
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The corruption in Thornton Township goes very deep and has infected almost the entire leadership.
Townships in Illinois are another layer of government, giving politicians more opportunities for skimming tax dollars and doling out favors. Henyard took full advantage of her position as both supervisor of the township and mayor of Dolton, a poor suburb about 25 miles from Chicago.
This is what corruption looks like…
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) January 29, 2025
Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s alleged misuse of tax-payer dollars:
• $100,000 spent on travel in just five months.
• $9,000 billed to Thornton Township for a January Mayors trip in Washington, D.C.
• $374,000 for three SUVs
• $24,000… https://t.co/72QdXVFnNx pic.twitter.com/0LgSvPt7ZO
At a township meeting on Tuesday night, residents had high hopes that something would finally be done about Henyard's iron grip on Thornton. It was the first scheduled meeting with new Trustee Stephanie Wiedeman, who is seen as an honest broker by residents. After some routine business was taken care of, including the passage of the first budget in more than a year, the public comment period began. This is where it got very interesting.
Activist Jedidiah Brown walked to the podium and started hurling expletive-laced invective at Henyard. Some audience members approved Brown's comments, which set off Henyard's boyfriend. He fought with Brown, and a full-scale brawl broke out.
ABC reports on the fight of Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, an activist, Henyard’s boyfriend, and others, at Tuesday’s township meeting.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) January 29, 2025
The activist called Henyard a “b*tch,” a “half a**ed mayor,” and accused her of “sleeping her way to the top.”
Then fists flew. https://t.co/GgbLkYv6oc pic.twitter.com/ITKmVwm1bM
The remarks by Brown begin at 2:06. (WARNING: Strong Language). Watch as Henyard (in the red hair) comes flying into the melee.
“It was one thing when the guys were fighting, but when she jumped in it, I was taken aback. I was floored,” Thornton resident Aliciadolton Nichole said to ABC7 Chicago.
I'm amazed that Henyard is still in office, although the Illinois attorney general is now looking into her reign of thievery and terror. The FBI is also investigating possible municipal fraud charges stemming from the $5 million owed to vendors in Dolton.
"America's worst mayor," indeed.
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