Waste of the Day: Illinois Mayor Parties Amid Village’s Financial Trouble

Topline: The mayor of Dolton, Illinois, Tiffany Henyard, has been called a “dictator” and “America’s worst mayor” by her constituents while federal police investigate the fiscal nightmare she has put her village through. Henyard, though, appears to be having the time of her life.

Illinois mayor and her parties on taxpayers’ dime

She allegedly spent over $85,000 this month on an outdoor party for her town, according to WGN News. The poster advertising the festivities shows Henyard’s face front and center.

Video posted on Henyard’s Facebook appears to show a completely empty set of bleachers during the festivities. Former Dolton trustee Valeria Stubbs told WGN there were only 65 to 70 people there.

In the video, Henyard proclaims, “They don’t show you this side of Tiffany Henyard: the productivity.”

If productivity is synonymous with extravagance, Henyard is absolutely correct. The village paid singer Keke Wyatt $30,000 and rapper J. Holiday $20,000 to each perform for 30 minutes, according to records obtained by WGN.

Henyard also spent another $36,000 on inflatable bounce houses, comedians, staff and equipment, WGN reported.

Background: The party came one month after Dolton announced it was $3.7 million in debt. Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, hired as an independent investigator to review Henyard’s spending, noted the village had a $5.6 million surplus when Henyard took office.

OpenTheBooks found earlier this year that Henyard collected a $365,000 salary in 2023 — almost $100,000 more than previously believed — by double-dipping as mayor of Dolton and supervisor of the larger Thornton Township.

Henyard also passed a law that will decrease the township supervisor salary by almost $300,000, only if she is not re-elected.

Self-promotion

Other controversies have included a convicted child sex offender being hired as the village’s code enforcement officer and a disco celebration Henyard held at a board meeting after a vote to recall her was thrown out in court.

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.

Critical quote: “She likes to use our tax dollars to promote herself,” Stubbs told WGN. “She has all these events trying to buy the voters.”

Summary: Henyard should probably save the festivities for when her village is not constantly making national headlines for its fiscal mismanagement.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.