Lori Lightfoot’s hard-charging and combative style made her tenure as mayor a rough ride at times, but we hope it — and her legal acumen — will be put to good use for the residents of Dolton.
Village trustees this week approved hiring Lightfoot as a $400-an-hour investigator charged with looking into the alleged financial improprieties of the town’s mayor, Tiffany Henyard.
Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, certainly has her work cut out for her. Henyard’s list of purported misdeeds is a long one, including allegedly hiring and paying vendors without village board approval.
But the most egregious accusation centers on a 2023 trip she took to Las Vegas. Henyard flew to Sin City to the tune of a nearly $4,000 flight to Las Vegas — she flew first class — on the taxpayer’s dime. And while there, she allegedly expensed the village for at least $8,400 in hotel room charges and restaurant bills at Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Hot N’ Juicy Crawfish that were $587 and nearly $400, respectively.
Henyard, who makes $46,000 a year as mayor plus $224,000 as Thornton Township supervisor, has not disclosed the purpose of the trip, nor has she detailed what work she did on behalf of the village while in Las Vegas.
Outrageous, if proven, considering Dolton is a financially struggling south suburb of 20,000 that has a budget deficit upward of $5 million and one of the highest property tax rates in Cook County. There isn’t a dime to waste.
Lightfoot ‘determined’
Village trustees turned to Lightfoot to seek answers about the questionable spending after they were allegedly stonewalled by Henyard.
And Lightfoot could face the same barrier. Dolton officials have filed Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain the spending records, but to little avail.
“I’m a very determined person,” Lightfoot said at Monday’s village meeting. “It is my sincere hope that Mayor Henyard will voluntarily cooperate, but should they not, we are prepared to do what is necessary to get to the facts.”
That sounds like the proper stance. And kudos to Dolton village trustees and the residents who questioned the town’s finances at a recent board meeting, for deciding to take a step toward holding Henyard accountable for her actions.
Henyard’s antics as mayor and township supervisor have drawn national attention — even embarrassment — to the small town near Chicago’s southern border. For instance, to get trustees to fund an ice rink last year, Henyard presided over a Dolton village board meeting dressed as Nino Brown, the violent, drug-dealing villain played by Wesley Snipes in the 1991 movie “New Jack City.”
And to emphasize the point, Henyard brought a DJ to the meeting who played Rihanna’s hit, “B—h Better Have My Money.”
Also last year — in a brazen attempt to ward off any political rival — Henyard backed an ordinance that would cut the salary of her successor as township supervisor from the current $224,000 down to just $25,000, should Henyard fail to be reelected to the post in 2025. If Henyard wins reelection, however, the salary would remain the same.
Probe could bring truth, but not charges
Meanwhile, WGN-TV reported in February that Henyard’s Thornton Township credit card showed she ran up more than $67,000 in trips to Austin, Texas, Atlanta and New York City. She frequently flew first class.
Conduct like this would be beyond Lightfoot’s remit as special investigator, but it does give a sense of Henyard’s style in office — and what the former mayor is up against.
Lightfoot’s probe won’t have the authority to bring criminal charges against Henyard if anything potentially illegal is uncovered. But the findings can be turned over to law enforcement officials.
Dolton residents deserve to know the truth behind their mayor’s spending. With Lightfoot’s hiring, the chances of that have increased.
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