In Dolton, a town ready for change, optimism seemed to rise among the residents at a recent Village Board meeting, notably marked by the absence of Mayor Tiffany Henyard. Following a pointed defeat in the Democratic mayoral primary, Henyard did not appear at the board meeting, where key decisions were to be made including the approval of multiple collective bargaining agreements. "We have to give Mayor [Tiffany] Henyard time to determine if she will show," Trustee Jason House, who defeated Henyard in the primary, mentioned in an executive session reported by WGN News.
With Henyard's seat empty, the atmosphere in Dolton was perceived as notably different, as decisions seemed to move forward quickly without her presence. As the board convened, they managed to quickly approve several actions, including the payment of legal fees and penalties stemming from the village's previous noncompliance with a FOIA request filed by WGN News. Additionally, a collective bargaining agreement for Dolton firefighters, as well as a contract for police records technicians, were approved, and the board set to override a veto from Henyard to grant a liquor license to a local business. The actions mark a sharp turn from the preceding months, where Henyard's alliance with Trustee Andrew Holmes, also absent from the meeting, had been a central fixture of village governance.
Henyard's no-show comes as the latest in a series of controversies surrounding her tenure as mayor. Ample lawsuits had been filed against her office, including those related to allegations of refusing to comply with open records laws—a legal battle that ended in favor of WGN News, as chronicled by the same outlet. Another lawsuit, as ABC7 Chicago reported, involved a bar owner who had sued the village, claiming Henyard refused to renew his liquor license after he declined to contribute to her campaign—a matter that was cleared for a resolution in this meeting.
Residents and trustees alike expressed sentiments of renewal and hope. "I hope you all feel like I feel like a fresh breeze is blowing through the village of Dolton," one resident commented during public statements, in a sentiment echoed by many others. This sense of a fresh start was further signified by the board's approval of a $35,000 settlement for a former village worker who had alleged she was unjustly fired for refusing to do campaign work for Henyard—yet another dispute settling as the village seeks to move past the contentious political climate. Henyard still holds her position as Thornton Township supervisor and plans to run for re-election as a write-in candidate. "We can breathe now," Karen Johnson, a Dolton resident, told WGN News. "We see a good future ahead."
