Dolton's top official, Mayor Tiffany Henyard, is enmeshed in a contentious dispute with Village trustees as she decidedly vetoes a resolution that aims to bring external investigators to probe her spending of village funds. The resolution, which the Village Board approved on February 11, met a dead end on Monday when Henyard dismissed it as illegal, stating, "We are under attack," and confidently pledged, "I will be victorious when the dust clears," as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The mayor's shutdown of the trustees' push for scrutiny surfaces amid revelations that federal authorities are already conducting an early-stage investigation, including the interviews both within and beyond the Dolton community. No charges have currently been laid against Mayor Henyard. However, four Village trustees have openly criticized the mayor's handling of finances, accusing her of unilateral payments to vendors and creating a significant multimillion-dollar deficit for the village. In a countermove, the trustees are set to try to override her veto at the April Village Board meeting, according to Trustee Jason House's remarks after Monday's meeting.
While Henyard has acknowledged a $2 million deficit, the board contends it is significantly more. Next month's village meeting will see trustees endeavor to override her veto. The ongoing strife was visible at Monday's meeting when Trustee Kiana Belcher claimed, “This is just a process to drag it along, but everybody sees what’s going on." The meeting further compounded tensions with the press relegated to the back, diminishing their visibility into the assembly. Residents voiced their frustration, with one, Vivian Allen, boldly declaring, "You lied to us as residents. You do not, you do not stand for me. And I want you to step down as mayor today and save our village from this deficit you have caused," according to WGN-TV.
