Embattled Village of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard will do an exclusive, sit-down interview with the Crusader at the newspaper’s office in Woodlawn.
It will be a rare moment for Henyard, who seldom gives interviews to the media, after lawsuits, an FBI investigation and her flashy leadership style made national news. Her last sit-down interview was with Journalist Roland Martin on YouTube.
Dolton’s first female mayor and youngest mayor in its history, Henyard’s first term in office has played out like a soap opera. Her Village Board meetings have been as raucous as reality television. Today, one year before she faces angry voters at the polls, Henyard wants to tell her side of the story to the Crusader.
She was elected in 2021 after taking over 36 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary against her opponents, which included incumbent Riley Rogers (30.41 percent) and Andrew Holmes (29.52 percent). Henyard then defeated Independent candidate Ronnie Burge by taking 82 percent of the vote in Dolton’s General Election.
Young and ambitious, Henyard ran her mayoral campaign in Dolton as a “change” candidate. Before serving as Dolton’s mayor, Henyard was Village Trustee in Dolton, where she was an outspoken critic of then-mayor Rogers. When she was elected mayor, hopes were high among Dolton voters who supported her at the polls.
With her colorful and flamboyant leadership style, Henyard has ushered in a new era of politics in Dolton, which is located just 22 miles south of Chicago. Bold and unapologetic, Henyard’s leadership and controversial spending has put Dolton and its future in the national spotlight.
In just her first term, Henyard has made more enemies than supporters at City Hall. She calls herself Dolton’s “supermayor,” as a young Black woman whose appetite for flash and brash has gained unwanted attention to Dolton.
Critics have dubbed her as “America’s worst mayor.” Since taking office in May 2021, Henyard has been accused of political corruption that involves taking lavish trips at five-star hotels and dining at high-end steakhouses on taxpayers’ dollars. She has been accused of pressuring businessmen of making donations to her campaign fund. Henyard has also been accused of making conflict-of-interest deals.
Last month, Village trustees voted to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate Henyard at $400 an hour. Henyard vetoed the measure.
In January 2024, one Dolton trustee was concerned that the Village was headed toward bankruptcy due to the spending and the Village’s $7 million debt. Village trustees have expressed concern about the Village’s debt, and that it was not meeting its financial obligations. In March, Fenia Dukes, the mayor’s former assistant, filed a civil lawsuit against Henyard and Andrew Holmes after they took a taxpayer-funded economic development trip to Las Vegas. There, Dukes alleged Holmes had non-consensual sex with her after dinner and a stroll on the Las Vegas strip.
Dukes accuses Holmes of assault and alleges Henyard retaliated against her after she reported the alleged encounter through Officer Byron Miles, who was part of Henyard’s security detail. He was demoted after he reported the alleged assault to the mayor. Miles also filed a lawsuit against Henyard.
Henyard also faces a lawsuit from former police chief Robert Collins, who alleges she fired him in 2023 because she believed his wife was one of her political adversaries.
Dolton residents have called for Henyard’s resignation, but she has been defiant, even as she remains the target of an FBI investigation, which includes two subpoenas sent to Dolton’s City Hall.
In 2022, Dolton residents voted to recall Henyard, but an Illinois Appellate Court ruled the referenda was illegal, allowing Henyard to remain in office.
In addition to Dolton, Henyard faces problems as supervisor of Thornton Township. She was appointed to the position in 2022 after longtime supervisor Frank Zuccarelli died. Henyard makes $224,000 a year in that role, but her appointment raised questions about whether Henyard can effectively serve two political positions at the same time or whether she was motivated to take that position because of the high salary.
But last week, a new development emerged in Henyard’s rocky political career. Federal investigators served two subpoenas to Thornton Township, expanding its probe against Henyard.
One subpoena focuses entirely on Henyard and her two businesses. She owns a restaurant and a property management company. She also has a political fund and a charity bearing her name. The subpoena reportedly seeks all records, including personnel files, wage and tax statements, time and attendance records of work performed, contracts, and checks written to “cash.”
The second subpoena requests a kitchen sink of Township records, including financial reports, budgets, payroll records, and ordinances covering credit card purchases, expense reimbursements, security details, and use of vehicles.
