The mayor of Dolton, Illinois, Tiffany Henyard, who has called herself a “super mayor,” made headlines when she used her veto authority to block a motion that sought to look into her financial behavior. This judgment followed claims that Henyard had been misusing public monies for private indulgences, such as lavish vacations and a huge $1 million budget for her police protection detail.
Henyard’s veto came in reaction to the unanimous vote of the Dolton village board, which demanded that the mayor’s spending be investigated. In its decision, the board asked Henyard to comply with releasing the village’s financial documents for review and suggested that the FBI look into the situation independently.
Henyard’s veto was presented as a rebuttal to what she called assaults with political and personal motivations, and it was made public during a village board meeting. “As you can see, our village, our community, and myself, we are under attack,” she stated, emphasizing her belief that we are the focus of skewed narratives. It’s unfortunate that some attendees at meetings may just provide one side of the narrative and fail to hear the other side as well.
Henyard defended herself by characterizing the village board as a “boys club” that is hostile to female leadership and declaring her plan to “fight back” against the campaign of slander she believes is being directed at her.
In the midst of the dispute, Henyard revealed Dolton was facing a $2 million budget deficit and listed outstanding debts totaling more than $827,000 for tree-trimming and street paving. Board members are speculating that the deficit may be substantially larger than disclosed, which has increased their scrutiny of her financial management following this announcement.
At the board meeting, Dolton citizens and previous village officials repeated calls for Henyard’s resignation, pointing to the financial situation and the mayor’s divisive activities. Henyard’s detractors, such as former trustee Edward Steave, said that he should examine himself in light of the negative response.
It was claimed that federal authorities had started looking into the assertions made about her, including those that Henyard was retaliating against those who did not back her politically, despite the turmoil in the area and Henyard’s veto.
At their upcoming meeting, the village board intends to override Henyard’s veto, a sign of the ongoing conflict and the community’s need for accountability and openness in Dolton’s government.