DOLTON, Ill. — WGN Investigates has an update on dysfunction in Dolton where local leaders are fighting over transparency, spending and safety.
The south suburb’s controversial mayor Tiffany Henyard fired back at a public meeting Monday night.
Henyard appeared annoyed by questions from a rebellious group of Dolton trustees who are in a stand-off with her over spending.
“You all forget I’m the leader. They want to hear from the mayor. You all ain’t learned that yet,” she said. “The mayor, not the trustees that don’t do nothing. They only run their mouth. You all don’t do no work, no work!”
Henyard’s opponents on the village board say they don’t trust that money is going to where it’s intended so they’ve blocked attempts to pay bills that don’t come with detailed explanations. “At the end of the day, vendors aren’t being paid. The board approved it, but vendors aren’t being paid,” Dolton trustee Jason House said.
“How about you be a good leader and bring [proposals] to the forefront so not just us, but residents and everyone else in America know how the money is being spent,” Dolton trustee Brittney Norwood said.
Henyard calls her critics “grandstanders” who should get in line behind her.
“You all should be ashamed of yourselves because you all are Black. You all are Black! And you all sitting up here beating and attacking a Black woman that’s in power,” she said. “You all should be ashamed of yourselves.
WGN Investigates has catalogued tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars spent on trips, meals and more by Henyard and her allies in Dolton and on the Thornton Township board where she’s the supervisor.
Township credit card records show Henyard and other officials spent more than $67,000 on trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City. Many of the flights were first class. So were the accommodations. In Atlanta, Henyard and her team stayed at the Four Seasons hotel costing taxpayers more than $9,000. In New York, the bill came to $13,000.
Henyard has refused to explain the specific purpose of the trips or why they travel in such style. But she appeared to refer to WGN’s reporting at Monday’s Dolton meeting.
“Everything we do is for the people. But we’re under attack. We get scrutinized by the media,” she said. “For what? Loving on the people? Showing that they matter to us? We going through the fires for you all.”
Dolton’s difficulties got worse in recent weeks, with water main breaks Henyard blames on trustees’ budget cuts. Then, four people were shot and injured last week leaving nerves frayed and Henyard’s opponents pointing out her sizable security detail.
“It’s unfortunate that politics are being played. What’s happened is a million dollars out of my budget have been cut because of politics,” Dolton Police Chief Lewis Lacey said.
“We’re not saying police aren’t doing a good job. We’re saying you’re assigning all of them to be with you when they should be out here protecting the residents so we can all feel safe,” Norwood said.
Residents are taking notice. Some spoke for – and others against – the mayor.
Henyard and her publicity team no longer respond to WGN’s emails seeking an explanation of her spending. She also is the face of a cancer charity in her name, one that has failed to file required financial disclosures.
The Illinois Attorney General has given the foundation until the middle of this month to show how it spends its money or face legal action.
