Furious residents of the Illinois town of Dolton are demanding the resignation of their controversial mayor, whom they have called “the worst mayor in America.”
Self-proclaimed ‘super mayor’ Tiffany Henyard, 40, has been accused of embezzlement and retaliating against a sexual assault victim, and last month vetoed an investigation into the allegations.
A Dolton Village Board meeting Monday to discuss the veto descended into chaos when dozens of residents banged on doors to get in, but only about 40 were allowed inside to express their anger at the Democrat.
‘Why can’t we be transparent about what happens to our tax money?’ one resident said fox32.
The meeting, at which trustees were expected to approve an investigation into Henyard, ended suddenly when police cleared the room, saying credible threats had been made.
Self-proclaimed Democratic ‘super mayor’ Tiffany Henyard, 40, has been accused of sexual assault and embezzlement.
‘Why can’t we be transparent about what happens to our tax money?’ one resident said
Henyard said: ‘As you can see, our village, our community and myself are under attack. It’s a shame that people can come to meetings and tell only one side of the stories and not know the full side of both stories.’
The high-profile mayor, who earns $300,000 for her public duties, has spent thousands more on first-class travel, a professional hair and makeup team and a security team. She has been accused of illegally signing contracts as dozens of unpaid vendors threaten to take the city to court.
Henyard has also been accused by a former employee of sexual harassment and retaliation. The former employee claims the mayor fired her after she said she had been sexually assaulted on a work trip in Las Vegas.
You know what happened in Las Vegas. You know what happened. And they should address it,” one resident said at Monday’s meeting.
Henyard posted a video of her with President Joe Biden at the White House in January after coming under fire for her high salary and questionable expenses.
In a photo posted to Instagram, Henyard even appeared to pose with a dog laden with jewelry.
The FBI is now investigating spending on limousines, first-class flights and a professional hair and makeup team.
The town board had voted on a motion to ask agencies including the FBI, U.S. Attorney, Cook County Sheriff and Cook County State’s Attorney to investigate Henyard earlier this year.
Henyard vetoed the invitation, but FBI agents were already talking to dozens of people in the city of 20,000 about the unpaid bills.
The mayor has admitted to a $2 million shortfall, blaming trustees for incompetence, but some fear the real figure could be as high as $5 million.
The city owes more than $427,000 to a company that repaved its streets and another $400,000 to a tree trimming company that worked for it last year.
“The mayor can blame everyone for what’s happening, but she has to look at herself,” said former administrator Edward Steave.
Tiffany Heynard, the first woman and youngest mayor of Dolton, Illinois, is under fire for hiring her former campaign worker Lavelle Redmond (pictured together, left) as a code compliance officer. The 46-year-old man is a registered child sex offender.
Last month, the Illinois Attorney General shut down her Henyard charity ‘Tiffany Henyard Cares’ amid allegations that it used taxpayer money and the services of public employees.
She and other officials are accused of spending more than $67,000 of public money on trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City, traveling first class on some of the flights and spending $13,000 on a stay in New York. York.
‘It is unfortunate that politics is being played. “What happened is a million dollars was cut from my budget because of politics,” said Dolton Police Chief Lewis Lacey.
The first female mayor in the city’s 128-year history was at the White House meeting with President Joe Biden in January, but she has been accused of shutting down businesses that refuse to donate to her campaign.
After a recall bid failed, Henyard posted this defiant image on Instagram declaring that she will “always be the mayor of Dolton.”
One resident, Lawrence Gardner, claimed Henyard forced his trucking business to close after he refused to renew a $3,500 contribution to his political fund.
The mayor was criticized for hiring her former campaign worker as the city’s code enforcement officer even though he is a convicted child rapist.
He also gained attention after spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on security details, including one time he pulled police officers off the street to make a protective suit.
A successful recall vote was overturned last year on a technicality that led to her dancing on a podium at the next board meeting to Rihanna’s ‘B***h Better Have My Money’.
“I am and always will be the mayor of Dolton,” she posted on Instagram, leading some to call her the “Dictator of Dolton.”
She has not been charged with a crime and is defiant in the face of critics who she says “should be ashamed of themselves.”