An Illinois official dubbed ‘America’s Worst Mayor’ by critics sparked outrage after vetoing plans to have former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot investigate her finances.
Tiffany Henyard, 40, the Mayor of Dolton, erupted in a furious rant on Monday evening as she shot down the probe, telling her colleagues at a city council meeting: ‘How dare you!’
The city council meeting was met with extra police security and protests over Henyard’s recent controversies, and was the first since federal investigators served subpoenas on city hall.
The subpoenas are seeking documents from Henyard and Dolton Village Administrator Keith Freeman related to expenses reimbursements and trips allegedly paid for by the city.
After trustees voted to hire Lightfoot – a former prosecutor – for $400 an hour to investigate, Henyard rejected the move, telling the city council meeting: ‘You know, it’s veto power, so how dare you think you can come into someone’s town and do work.’
‘There is a right way to do things, and this is just not that,’ she said. ‘(Lightfoot) will not be paid for her services.’
Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard slammed her city colleagues as she faced an investigation into her finances, telling them ‘there is a right way to do things, and this is just not that’
Trustees in Dolton voted to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (pictured) to investigate the embattled mayor, before the move was vetoed on Monday
Dolton, around 20 miles south of Chicago, has a population of only around 20,000 people, but the small town has been thrust into the spotlight amid controversies surrounding Henyard.
Since her election in 2021, Henyard has faced allegations of corruption, fraud and financial mismanagement, including a lawsuit filed a month ago claiming she worked to cover-up a sexual assault on a trip to Las Vegas in 2023.
Unrelated to the sexual assault allegation, that trip was among the issues that was set to be investigated by Lightfoot, and was allegedly one of several taxpayer funded trips Henyard took that totaled over $102,000.
The former mayor was hired at a previous city council meeting as trustees voted for her to launch a special investigation into Henyard’s finances.
She sparked anger at her decision to use her veto power to end the probe into herself, with residents at the meeting calling for her resignation and slamming her scandal-ridden tenure as mayor.
One woman at the meeting said: ‘You’re not accountable, you don’t respect people who don’t agree with you, you’re not qualified for that seat.’
‘We are watching the fall of this administration,’ added Edward Steave, reports the Chicago Tribune. ‘We got to get her out.’
Protests formed outside the city hall meeting this week, where residents demanded Henyard’s resignation amid her controversies
Subpoenas have been served against Henyard and Dolton Village Administrator Keith Freeman (pictured) related to expenses reimbursements and trips allegedly paid for by the city
Henyard, dubbed ‘America’s Worst Mayor’ by her critics, is also said to be the subject of a criminal investigation
Much of the anger was reportedly targeted at Henyard due to the federal subpoenas served on the city last month, seeking records about trips by city officials and expenses reimbursements.
Alongside the embattled mayor, Dolton Village Administrator Keith Freeman was also the subject of the subpoenas, including potential reimbursements involving his businesses.
Records are also being requested related to trips made by city officials, including to Washington DC in March 2023, and one to Las Vegas in May 2023.
On that trip to Vegas, Henyard’s former assistant Fenia Dukes – who led protests outside the city hall meeting this week – alleged that she was attacked by Dolton trustee and alleged Henyard-ally Andrew Holmes.
Holmes denied the allegations against him, and has not been charged by police.
After coming forward with her allegations, Dukes was reportedly placed on leave then fired, and her supporters say the scandal is typical of Henyard’s tenure as mayor.
At the fiery city hall meeting, furious residents embraced Dukes outside before slamming Henyard and calling for her resignation.
‘This administration is a disgrace,’ one resident said. ‘And you won’t step down?’
In response, Henyard said that the city’s board was manipulating her constituents with ‘fake news’, adding that it was ‘putting our community in a bad light.’
One subpoena is reported to focus entirely on Henyard, including a restaurant and a property management company she owns, as well as her political fund and the charity bearing her name
The news of Henyard’s subpoenas was first reported last week by Fox 32 Chicago, which obtained records that revealed the mayor is the target of a growing criminal investigation.
Former FBI agent Ross Rice told the outlet: ‘It’s very broad in scope.
‘It’s very broad in the number of people and entities they’re asking for records on. So, there must be some serious allegations of wrongdoing that they’re trying to get to the bottom of.
‘The mayor and the Township Supervisor, who are one and the same, appear to be the primary focus of the investigation.
‘Overall, it tells me that the investigation is expanding. It’s not just focusing on the City of Dolton,’ Rice said.
One subpoena is reported to focus entirely on Henyard, including a restaurant and a property management company she owns, as well as her political fund and the charity bearing her name.
The subpoena seeks all records including personnel files, wage and tax statements, time and attendance, records of work performed, contracts, and checks written to ‘cash.’
The second subpoena is said to request township records, including financial reports, budgets, payroll records, and ordinances covering credit card purchases, expense reimbursements, security details and use of vehicles.
