In the suburban village of Dolton, Illinois, turmoil is brewing at the top as Democrat Mayor Tiffany Henyard, already embroiled in a scandal over the misuse of public funds, faces personal and political crises.
The latest challenge for Henyard is an eviction lawsuit, spurred by unpaid rent totaling $3,350. A notice filed in Cook County Circuit Court on September 18 now requires Henyard and her boyfriend, Kamal Woods, who works at Thornton Township where Henyard also serves as supervisor, to either settle their dues or leave their home.
The financial predicament mirrors the deeper fiscal troubles of Dolton itself, which is reported to be over $3.5 million in debt. An ongoing investigation, led by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, has brought to light allegations of Henyard’s mishandling of village funds, including a staggering $40,000 in Amazon purchases made in a single day. Despite Henyard’s denials, the evidence continues to mount, and community tension has escalated.
Documents reveal that Henyard and Woods owe $3,350 in back rent for their residence on Harvard Street in Dolton according to NBC Chicago. Additionally, they face a daily penalty of $50 and a monthly charge of $2,400 due at the start of each month. The couple has been given a five-day ultimatum to either vacate the premises or sign a new lease and pay the total amount owed.
A Cook County judge has also barred Henyard’s recently appointed officials from working at Village Hall. The appointments, which include a new police chief, village attorney, and village administrator, were made without approval from the Dolton Village Board, violating both the Illinois Municipal Code and the Dolton Village Code. The judge issued a temporary restraining order against Henyard and the three appointees, preventing their entry to Village Hall and allowing other employees to continue their duties. This is part of an ongoing federal grand jury investigation that began in November 2023, scrutinizing Henyard’s activities.
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During a particularly charged village meeting, residents packed the hall to hear Lightfoot’s findings. “We’ve worked very, very diligently, very hard—under difficult circumstances—to get as much information as we could to share with you,” Lightfoot said according to CBS News.
A preliminary review of the financial records disclosed a troubling deficit in the Dolton Village General Fund, which, as of May 31, 2024, stood at a negative $3.65 million. This came from Lightfoot, a special investigator appointed by the village trustees, who expressed their concerns about a complete lack of financial oversight.
“If you hear this is fake news, it’s not. It’s real,” Lightfoot informed the gathered community members. “This is real.” The investigation further uncovered rampant and unchecked credit card expenditures. “Receipts for credit card purchases are rarely provided,” Lightfoot said.
Further scrutiny by Lightfoot into the village’s spending habits highlighted excessive overtime payments, particularly involving two police officers. The financial analysis showed these officers significantly increased their earnings through overtime, nearly doubling their annual salaries. In Fiscal Year 2023, one officer earned $108,000 in overtime, followed by $114,000 in Fiscal Year 2024, compared to their base salaries of $72,000 and $87,000, respectively. The other officer’s overtime pay was $87,000 in FY2023 and $102,000 in FY2024, against a regular salary of $55,000 and $73,000 for those years, according to CBS.
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