Is This Illinois Mayor Channeling Nino Brown To Gain Support For Her Campaign?

Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard is accused of taking a "New Jack City" approach to getting her way in the city, critics say.

Dolton, Illinois, Mayor Tiffany Henyard is accused of taking a Nino Brown of New Jack City approach to getting her way in the city, critics say.

Henyard is being called out by her constituents for the Nino Brown persona she allegedly takes on at board meetings, The New York Post reported. According to sources, Henyard has dressed like the drug kingpin from the 1991 gangster film while having a DJ blast Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” to get her point across.

Walking around the room in her Nino Brown attire, Henyard reportedly dragged a stuffed dog to reenact a scene from the Wesley Snipes-led cult classic film. She’s accused of using Dolton city funds for lavish personal use and using local law enforcement to strong-arm her opposition.

Exactly who are Henyard’s enemies? Local business owners allegedly refuse to fund her campaign. Lawrence Gardner, 57, claims he was forced to shut down his trucking business after refusing to renew a $3,500 contribution to Henyard’s administration.

He claims that after making his first donation, the mayor’s team members proceeded to hound him for more money each year and when he refused, he was accused of illegally selling alcohol and had his license revoked.

“What is she, Nino Brown?” Garner said. “Anything she wants done, she gets them to harass you. She likes nobody. If you are not doing what she say, if you are not doing how she’s saying to do it, you are a problem. She don’t like them.”

The former burger joint owner turned politician is accused of working with Village of Dolton Police Chief, Lewis Lacey, to allegedly extort small business owners into making annual payments or risk having their companies shut down. Village of Dolton Trustee Kiana Belcher claims Dolton Police Chief, Robert Collins, admitted to targeting locals on Henyard’s behalf.

“People look at politics like a joke, it’s like a mockery right now because of all this stuff,” Belcher said. “She comes to board meetings dressed like Nino Brown.”

Henyard is also accused of using city funds to hire $1 million worth of security, among other personal expenditures, like a $2 million ice rink that’s only open when she hosts events. Locals are now expressing regret for voting her into office.

“It was a vote that I regret,” voter Sherry Britton said. “Please put that in there! It was a vote that I regret deeply,” she added. “When she got into office, she just shut everyone out and she went into the opposite direction. She became this tyrant and dictator.”

It’s speculated that Henyard has her sites set on reality television and might even be filming a show as she always has cameras recording her.

“It seems like her aspirations and goals are for her to be a reality star,” Britton said. “She didn’t [previously] wear all that makeup. She just now thinks she’s this reality star. I don’t know this for sure, but they say she is filming a reality show, because the cameras are always with her.”