From self-described “super mayor” to “Dolton dictator,” residents demanding the resignation of their scandal-ridden bureaucrat were locked out of a village meeting in the latest seemingly self-serving authoritarian move.
First-class flights, professional styling and a White House visit were only a few of the alleged misuses of taxpayer dollars leveled against Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard (D). Monday, after she had reportedly vetoed a unanimous resolution inviting the FBI to investigate her for the potential embezzlement of millions of dollars, plans to address and override the move were kiboshed by chaos.
Fox 32 reported from location as dozens of residents gathered outside the Village of Dolton’s monthly meeting only to learn that they were locked out as a mere 42 of those present were permitted to enter.
“What do you mean people can’t come in? Why can’t people come in?” resident Cheryl Hill could be heard saying. “This is a government building. I know you all know this is a government building, right?”
A meeting of the Dolton, IL village board to discuss Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s veto of an investigation into herself descended into chaos as 100+ residents attended, but only ~40 were allowed in.
Henyard has been accused of embezzling $2M, sexual harassment, and retaliation. pic.twitter.com/h7r82jLZJP
— Julia (@Jules31415) April 3, 2024
“Young lady showed up here this morning, went in and was totally upset. She had no idea she can’t go into the building, just the foyer,” Mary Avent told the news outlet. “Had to do her paperwork standing outside in the rain.”
Another resident said, “She doesn’t care about the residents at all. She wants to control everything. It’s all about what she wants. We’re not sitting at the table and that’s bad,” while Barbara Parker expressed, “We are being treated as though we are in prison in our own town, in a place where we pay taxes. We can’t get into our Village Hall.”
It’s 6:32, but Dolton Village Hall is still closed to public for its 6:30 board of trustees meeting. Street out front block by police, amid ongoing scrutiny of Mayor Tiffany Henyard. pic.twitter.com/rCLHjkltXV
— Jenna Barnes (@Jenna_Barnes) April 1, 2024
Those who had managed to get inside the building were limited in their opportunity to confront the mayor with allegations as the meeting was prematurely brought to a close over an alleged violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Trustee Jason House had said, “The meeting was adjourned because we have to have enough space. The Open Meetings Act requires that we have enough space for everybody to get in.”
Meanwhile, four of the six trustees walked out over the decision arguing that there was sufficient room for the residents who wished to enter.
“As you just saw, it’s chaos amongst our four trustees. They didn’t come here to do business. They came here to do a political theater stunt, which you just saw,” claimed Henyard after the walkout.
As police were seen clearing the room, it was also reported by the Daily Mail that the abrupt close of the meeting that had continued at the mayor’s insistence was related to a “credible threat.”
During the meeting, she had been confronted by one resident who brought up sexual assault and retaliation allegations related to 2023 visit to Las Vegas described as a work trip. “You know what happened in Vegas. You know what happened. And you should be addressing it.”
A since terminated employee had claimed that she had been woken up in one of the trustee’s hotel rooms and had been fired after she had leveled allegations of sexual assault. The accused trustee was said to have not attended Monday’s meeting.
According to the Mail, an admitted $2 million deficit for Dolton, on the hook for over $427,000 to a paving company and $400,000 for a tree-trimming company, could be as much as $5 million as Henyard brought in a $300,000 annual salary and kept a stylist on the payroll.
Other allegations brought against the mayor who’d started a podcast amid the FBI probe that had begun despite Henyard’s opposition, included the owner of a shuttered trucking business who said his business license wasn’t renewed after he refused to renew a $3,500 contribution.
Amid all the claims brought against her, the mayor attempted to take the moral high ground at Monday’s meeting and said before adjourning, “Our job is to make sure we take care of business and not allow the business to handle us.”
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Author: Kevin Haggerty
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