Tiffany Henyard, the current mayor of Dolton, Illinois, has announced her bid for reelection despite facing numerous controversies during her first term. She made the announcement on Facebook, stating her intention to run for mayor again. However, Henyard has not raised much money for her campaign, as her campaign finance report showed no contributions or expenses between July and September. She loaned her campaign $20,000 in March and currently has nearly $64,000 in funds.
Henyard is facing accusations of misusing taxpayer funds in Dolton and is listed as the treasurer of her campaign. She will be running against Dolton board colleague Jason House, who is part of a team of candidates called the Clean House slate. The division in the village has grown in recent months, with Henyard and some board members meeting at different times and places. She recently stormed into and out of a meeting held by opposing village trustees, leading to further turmoil in the community.
Henyard has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to determine that village hall is the primary site for municipal business and cancel any official acts taken by other trustees at meetings held elsewhere. Dolton and the town of Thornton Township, which Henyard leads as supervisor, were hit with federal subpoenas earlier this year. The subpoenas also included her political committee and charity, along with associates. Despite the federal scrutiny, Henyard has denied any wrongdoing.
Trustee Kiana Belcher, who is running with House, criticized Henyard’s reelection bid as “ridiculous” and accused her of causing chaos in the village. Belcher stated that the community does not want to continue under Henyard’s leadership and expressed confidence in the Clean House slate’s ability to restore decency and order to the village. However, Henyard remains steadfast in her belief that Dolton voters will overwhelmingly support her and give her a mandate to continue fighting for the village for the next four years.
The Democratic primary for the mayoral election is scheduled to take place in February, according to the Chicago Tribune. The upcoming election is expected to be hotly contested, with Henyard and House being the main contenders. Despite facing backlash and federal scrutiny, Henyard is determined to seek reelection and has the support of her lawyer in her bid to continue leading Dolton and Thornton Township. It remains to be seen how the controversies surrounding her first term will impact her chances of winning a second term in office.
