Chicago-area Democrat mayor helps throw lavish $85,000 party to small crowd following 'excessive'-spending probe

A controversial Chicago-area mayor and township supervisor recently helped throw an event that cost taxpayers more than $85,000 despite a recent probe into her apparently "excessive" spending habits.

On August 17, Tiffany Henyard, the mayor of the Village of Dolton and the supervisor of nearby Thornton Township, helped organize a municipal party entitled "A Taste of Thornton Township." Henyard's predecessor also organized the event in previous years.

'She's just not going to stop until they put cuffs on her.'

This year's event was "powered by Supervisor Tiffany A. Henyard and the Thornton Township Board" and billed as "A Free Concert & Community Celebration," according to a township Facebook post, but it was certainly not "free" for the township.

WGN Investigates discovered through a Freedom of Information Act request that the party cost about $85,770. Of that, $50,000 went to pay for two musicians, R&B singer Keke Wyatt and rapper J. Holiday, to perform for 30 minutes each. Another $6,600 went toward renting inflatable bounce houses for children, WGN-TV reported.

Despite the high price tag, the event drew small crowds. Former Dolton trustee Valeria Stubbs called it a "flop" and estimated that only 60 or 70 people showed up.

Henyard, sometimes referred to as the "Dolton dictator" and "America's worst mayor," did not seem bothered by the apparently low turnout or the costs to the township. "This is all for the babies," she said as she filmed herself at the event. "They don’t show you this side of Tiffany Henyard: the productivity."

Some local residents took a decidedly different view.

"I was flabbergasted," said Jennifer Robertz of Lansing. "I was p*ssed off. That’s my money. That’s the people’s money."

According to WGN, most of the contracts associated with the township party were signed before the board of trustees took steps to curtail municipal spending.

Last month, trustees in Dolton voted to freeze almost all village credit cards, as Blaze News previously reported. For now, only the director of administrative services will be able to use the village credit card and only for purchases preapproved by the board.

Since the spring, Henyard, 41, has also been the subject of federal and local investigations.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a fellow Democrat, was tapped to spearhead the local investigation into Henyard's "excessive and unauthorized use of village funds," according to the Washington Examiner.

In a preliminary report issued on August 8, Lightfoot revealed that Dolton was currently in a budget shortfall of over $3.6 million even though Henyard inherited a $5.6 million budget surplus when she took office in April 2022, WLS reported.

Lightfoot also documented lavish trips to Las Vegas, more than $40,000 in Amazon purchases, and another $10,000 spent at Wayfair and Best Buy, all on the village dime. "These are somebody using the credit card and charging these amounts using your tax dollars," Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot further noted that the state has not audited the village's books as required by law.

The Village of Dolton hired Lightfoot at $400 an hour for a total of $30,000. The federal investigation into Henyard remains ongoing.

At least one Dolton resident believes Henyard, whom she called "a narcissist," will eventually get her comeuppance.

"I feel like she knows this is over, but she’s going to go down kicking and screaming like an MMA fighter," Sherry Britton said. "She's just not going to stop until they put cuffs on her."

Thus far, Henyard has not been charged with any crime, though Dolton Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey, described as a Henyard "ally," was indicted a few weeks ago on nine federal charges, including bankruptcy fraud and perjury. He has since pled not guilty.

Henyard's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WGN.

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