Mayor Tiffany Henyard slams critics who say she spends lavishly

News

By Melissa Koenig

The self-described “super mayor” of a small Illinois town has hit back at those who criticize her almost $300,000 salary and brazen use of public funds on flights, steakhouses and billboards — while her village faces a deficit.

Democrat Tiffany Henyard, elected as mayor of Dolton in 2021, claimed at a public meeting on Monday her critics are simply upset because she is a black woman in power.

“You all should be ashamed of yourselves because you all are black. You all are black,” the glamorous mayor said during the livestreamed meeting. “And you all [are] sitting up here beating and attacking a black woman that’s in power.”

Henyard, who also serves as the Thornton Township supervisor, went on to hit out at her own village trustees, who filed a lawsuit against her, alleging she forged checks and withheld financial records.

“You all forget I’m the leader. They want to hear from the mayor,” she said of the 20,000 residents. “You ain’t learned that yet.”

“The mayor — not the trustees that don’t do nothing. They only run their mouth,” she continued, clearly vexed.

“You all don’t do no work, no work.”

According to copies of the township’s credit card statements obtained by WGN9, taxpayers forked over more than $67,000 on Henyard’s trips to destinations including Austin, Atlanta and New York City, often flying first class.

In Atlanta, Henyard and her advisors stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel, spending about $9,347 there, and in New York, the group stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where the hotel charged them $13,098.

Other charges show the township — where the median annual salary of residents is $24,000 —racked up more than $23,000 in restaurant charges across the state from July through November.

Nakita Cloud, who served for a short time as Henyard’s chief of staff in Dolton, said she would regularly invite her aides and supporters to dine at upscale restaurants at the taxpayers’ expense — even though they did not actually discuss government business.

Meanwhile, in the village billboards line the streets bearing Henyard’s face and name.

She is also using six village officers as her own personal security detail, according to information Fox 32 received from a Freedom of Information Act request.

The officers are paid every two weeks — often working more than 100 hours per paycheck, and getting overtime pay as a result.

Additionally, taxpayers appear to have been charged thousands of dollars for meals and hotel rooms during a charity event for Henyard’s own cancer organization, and funds and resources were even allegedly used to pay for Henyard’s prolific social media channels.

“I don’t think she’s fit to be mayor, I think she wants to be a reality television star,” said Cloud.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Henyard pays out of pocket for the makeup artist and stylist she enlists before any public event.

A public relations firm representing both the town and the village, though, has defended Henyard’s use of taxpayer funds.

“Regarding the charges for travel and expenses, it’s important to note these expenditures often involve a larger group of officials,” a spokesperson told WGN. 

“These trips play a crucial role in building relationships, attracting investment and securing valuable resources for our township’s development.”

The spokesperson added that any tax dollars that were spent on an event for Henyard’s charity “were made in accordance with approved budgets.”

But the village is now $5 million in the hole over the past two years, according to trustee Jason House.

The resulting budget cuts have been blamed for water main breaks, and for the lack of a police presence when four people were shot and injured last week.

“It’s unfortunate that politics are being played,” Police Chief Lewis Lacey said. “What’s happening is a million dollars out of my budget have been cut because of politics.”

Dolton trustee Brittney Norwood was more direct, telling Henyard at the meeting: “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,” according to WGN9.

Besides the alleged frivolous spending, Henyard also sparked outrage over a controversial salary plan she successfully proposed for Thornton Township, which critics claim was a strategy to discourage anyone from running against her.

Henyard, who collectively earns a $285,000 salary from her two positions, proposed a nearly 90% cut to her salary if someone else wins her spot in the next election, Fox 32 reported. However, if Henyard is re-elected, her salary would remain the same.

Still, Henyard claims she is still a loyal servant to the residents.

“Everything we do is for the people… but we’re under attack,” she told residents at the meeting on Monday.

“We get scrutinized by the media. For what? Loving on the people? Showing that they matter to us?

“We go through the fires for you all,” she claimed.