Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard has initiated legal proceedings against several members of the village's leadership and the Dolton Park District, following a Board of Trustees meeting that she alleges was improperly held. This lawsuit, filed with the support of Trustees Stanley Brown and Andrew Holmes, names Village Clerk Alison Key, Trustees Tammie Brown, Brittney Norwood, Jason House, and Kiana Belcher, along with Village Administrator Keith Freeman and the Dolton Park District, as defendants. The mayor is seeking to have Village Hall recognized as the rightful venue for conducting village business, and to see any decisions made during the contested meeting declared invalid, as reported by FOX 32.
Mayor Henyard's lawsuit stems from a conflict over where the village's Board of Trustees should be meeting. The meetings are supposed to be not only accessible but also held in compliance with the Open Meetings Act. To accommodate this, an opinion from the Illinois Attorney General earlier in September instructed the village to use larger venues and avoid excessive security measures. However, with capacity issues at village hall raising concerns, Trustee Jason House, who also serves as mayor pro-tem, told NBC 5 that an alternative location had to be used "due to ongoing capacity issues at village hall," which ostensibly failed to meet the required transparency and openness.
The lawsuit alleges that a conflict arose when another agenda appeared alongside the official one, with this new one calling for the October 7 meeting to be at the Dolton Park District's Lester Long Building without Mayor Henyard's prior knowledge. Upon arriving at Village Hall for the scheduled meeting, Mayor Henyard found that the other board members were absent, resulting in a canceled meeting due to the lack of quorum. According to FOX 32, Henyard was later alerted to the simultaneous meeting at the Dolton Park District and attempted to preside over it only to be met with resistance and disorder.
The crux of the issue appears to be a power struggle amongst village officials, with Mayor Henyard asserting that the defendants acted beyond their authority and undermined the village's governance. In turn, the trustees claim necessary accommodations were made to comply with the Open Meetings Act. This has prompted the mayor to legally try to invalidate any actions taken and ordinances passed during what she considers an illegitimate assembly. The saga in Dolton continues as the community seeks clarity and awaits the court's decision on this local procedural skirmish. NBC 5 reached out for comment to the attorney representing the majority of trustees but has not yet received a response.
