Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has reportedly been asked to lead an investigation into the Village of Dolton’s Mayor Tiffany Henyard. Henyard is being investigated for allegations of cronyism, sexual misconduct, and corruption.
Dolton is a village in Cook County, Illinois, about 22 miles from Downtown Chicago. The village’s population was 21,426 at the 2020 census.
As WGN 9 reports, trustees are expected to vote on a resolution on April 8 that will officially authorize both the investigation and Lightfoot’s contract with Dolton. Lightfoot is also a former federal prosecutor and the former president of both the Chicago Police Board and Chicago Police Accountability Task Force.
Henyard is allegedly under investigation over spending and the money tied up between Dolton and Thornton Township, of which
Henyard is the supervisor. Henyard is also accused of retaliating against an aide and a police officer who reported an alleged instance of sexual misconduct by a village trustee while on a trip to Las Vegas in 2023.The trustee denied the allegations, but a woman anonymously filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, which suggests that the trustee could be accused of sexual assault.
The officer involved also submitted a complaint, stating, “There was some suggestion that the employee may not have had the ability to consent,” at which point the officer was concerned that a crime may have occurred. He asked the trustee to switch to a video call, which the trustee complied with.
The officer’s statement continues, saying that the trustee “panned the camera toward a bed where [he] could see a woman who was partially undressed. The trustee then moved the camera to various private areas of the woman’s body, displaying them on screen at times moving or removing articles of clothing.”
Henyard’s office, meanwhile, dismissed claims from two former employees as an attempt to take taxpayer money. “This
is nothing more than two disgruntled village employees who are trying to make off with the taxpayers hard earned dollars. The village looks forward to defending these allegations and pursuing all other available remedies to the village.”According to Burt Odelson, the legislative counsel for Dolton’s Board of Trustees, the town currently faces nearly 40 lawsuits related to Henyar. Odelson told Fox 32 that he believes Henyard is bankrupting the town.
“She’s bankrupting the town. The town doesn’t have any money and it’s not going to have any money for a long time based on these suits.”
Henyard is also being sued by two former employees, one from Thornton Township and the other from Dolton.
Sandra Tracy, a former human resources manager for Thornton Township, says she was made a target for refusing to come up with “dirt” on other township employees and taking leave using the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA.)
Samysha Williams, the former director of Dolton’s Building Permits and Licenses Department, alleges that she was fired for not withholding permits from businesses that didn’t make donations to Henyard’s campaign. Williams also told Fox 32 that she did not refuse FOIA requests despite Henyard’s insistence that she do so.
Matthew R. Custardo, a lawyer for the former employees, released a statement to Fox 32, saying, “We believe that the Village and Township’s actions, under Mayor Henyard’s direction, were unjust, unfair, and unlawful. Our clients were devoted public servants and they deserved better. Instead, they were bullied, intimidated, and kicked to the curb. But they’re fighting back.”
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