“Super Mayor” of Chicago Suburb Tiffany Henyard is Being Unfairly Persecuted

Photo of Dolton mayor Tiffany Henyard from NBCChicago.com.

I primarily write about big news stories, entertainment, health and self-help, and there’s been a story involving Dolton, IL mayor Tiffany Henyard since 2021, when the Dolton Village Board of Trustees initiated a vote to recall her as mayor. The Board has initiated multiple efforts over the years to remove Mayor Tiffany Henyard, and the more they fail, the more it seems like Mayor Henyard is right that it’s all a witch hunt.

Tiffany Henyard, Your Super Mayor

Mayor Tiffany Henyard — “Dolton’s Super Mayor”, as she proudly refers to herself — can be seen on social media flashing a smile so bright, it could lighten a gloomy day. She’s often seen hosting events and giving back to the community, even providing back-to-school essentials for students. This is partly where she allocates some of the village’s funds. As you know, they say it takes a village.

It isn’t unusual to hear Henyard speaking “for The People” and demanding more for the average family. But her extroverted, good-hearted nature seems to have invited in relentless and maybe baseless political attacks.

… I felt that maybe Tiffany Henyard’s adversaries had legitimate concerns if not evidence, but things started not adding up quickly.

Dolton is a small town, a suburb roughly twenty minutes south of my city, Chicago. Although they are different cities, many political lines are blurred between Dolton and Chicago. This story has had many twists and turns, some of which have involved Chicago, and I’ve been more of an observer of it than a reporter.

I don’t recall the first time I became aware of Mayor Henyard’s Dolton situation. However, I do recall after hearing a few news stories about it and reading some local papers, I felt that maybe Tiffany Henyard’s adversaries had legitimate concerns if not evidence, but things started not adding up quickly.

In 2021, Dolton’s board initiated a vote to recall Mayor Henyard a month into her term. According to Henyard, she didn’t know why they wanted to recall her, other than just being haters. In court, when asked by the judge what Henyard had done to warrant being recalled and removed from her office, the Board couldn’t make a legitimate legal argument as to why she should be removed. The case was ultimately thrown out.

You have to wonder, with Henyard being in office less than two months before the recall was initiated, why it was initiated in the first place. Recalls are serious, and they usually happen when an elected public official steals, commits a heinous crime or some other serious matter. Not liking the way an official governs is not legal grounds to remove that person from office. It’s troubling at best that a group of public servants would get together and cook up a recall after a smear campaign against Mayor Henyard.

As the supervisor, Henyard earned $224,000 and $46,000 as Mayor.

Another bone of contention was the fact that Henyard as mayor was simultaneously serving as Thornton Township Supervisor. Located near Dolton, Thornton Township sits in the small city of Markham. As the supervisor, Henyard earned $224,000 and $46,000 as Mayor. The supervisor salary is probably too high, but the Mayoral pay is cause for concern.

In December of 2023, it was determined that Henyard’s name would not appear on the ballot for Thornton Township Supervisor. Henyard and her voters had waited outside for hours to get in on the vote that would ultimately lead to her being blocked from the ballot. Undoubtedly, the Mayor took offense to her name being blocked and saw it as deliberate dirty politics or “politricks”, as she likes to call them.

Other News: Read about the BALTIMORE MOM who she says she killed her daughter for “having sexual relations with the father of her other three children.”

Preemptively, Mayor Henyard had taken the step of reducing the salary of supervisor to $25,000, roughly ten percent of what she earned, in the event she lost the reelection as supervisor. Some saw this has her playing dirty politics, but this move lessened the financial incentive to challenge her and thinned out the competition. Henyard was eventually denied a place on the ballot due to not having a certified assessor on her ticket. The rule is, anybody hoping to have their name on the ballot for township supervisor needs a supervisor, highway director, clerk, assessor and four trustees on their ticket. A technicality is what really kept Henyard’s name off the ballot.

As for Henyard’s getting paid twice, it makes sense if she is doing two separate jobs. Ethically, they should be done at two different times. The $224,000 supervisor pay plus the $46,000 mayoral pay equals $270,000. Split in two, that’s $135,000. That’s fair pay for either position. So, collectively, the two salaries when taken together make sense.

She’s also been accused of inappropriately awarding overtime to cops…

There have been other allegations against Henyard, claiming that she’s stolen or misused public funds and even might have committed fraud. She’s also been accused of inappropriately awarding overtime to cops, some who might have been getting paid while not actually working.

I’m not sure what any of the investigations into Henyard will bring, but the allegations aren’t amounting to much.

The Case is Overblown

It is natural to cringe in the presence of a loudmouth, especially when their frustration is aimed at you, but it’s not an invitation to persecute that person. It seems like Mayor Tiffany Henyard is being persecuted, since there hasn’t been any prosecution, because she chooses to use her voice loudly and intentionally. Henyard has also won most of her most-pressing court challenges, other than having her name on the ballot for supervisor.

… it is unconvincing that Henyard is doing any of what her opponents say she is.

Investigations can take a long time, but some of the allegations against Henyard are so blatant, they could be proven or disproven in a matter of minutes or hours. For example, if she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars or illegally misappropriated that amount of money, there would be some financial record of it. With some of these allegations going back over three years and yet to be charged in a court of law, it is unconvincing that Henyard is doing any of what her opponents say she is.

Some have pointed to Henyard’s use of first-class flights and traveling expenses totaling over $100,000 as proof she is misusing public funds. That number does seem high, but the courts didn’t find it an appropriate reason to remove her from office. Also, $100,000 doesn’t seem excessive when compared to the travel expenses of her counterparts in similar positions.

If Mayor Tiffany Henyard is as bad as they say she is, her opponents need to prove it in court.

The Takeaway

The Dolton Village Board of Trustees wants Mayor Tiffany Henyard out of office for crimes they have yet to prove she committed. As they make more claims against her, the lack of prosecution speaks louder. It comes off as screaming “Fire” at the bottom of Niagara Falls. It’s all coming off as a persecution. Henyard said the allegations were part of a “politricks” campaign against her, and she appears to be right. I say, look at the evidence or the lack of it to form your opinion. And hear her side of the story before forming an opinion.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block, who also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new articles and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share. Get your Truth Be Bold Newsletter here.