Editorial: Dolton faces a few more weeks of Tiffany Henyard. More than enough.

“You gone, b—-.” Those harsh words, spoken at a podium by a critic of Tiffany Henyard during a Jan. 28 Thornton Township Board meeting, preceded a brawl.

Video shows Henyard joined in the melee. Security reportedly had to clear the room after the fighting intensified. It was a shocking display at a government meeting, and that’s a high bar these days, but it’s no surprise that tempers are high in Dolton, where Henyard serves as Thornton Township supervisor as well as mayor of the village.



She makes a good living from her government roles, earning a total of $270,000 annually. Her role as supervisor is the primary contributor, earning her $224,000 a year. If she’s ousted, an ordinance the township board of trustees approved in 2023 will see her successor earn just $25,000.

Voters have the chance to put an end to the madness in a matter of weeks, when they vote to elect the next mayor, who will hopefully prioritize showing up to meetings, something Henyard doesn’t always do. Henyard’s been tossed off the ballot in Thornton Township, and now her last hope to remain in power rests upon the Dolton mayoral outcome. There’s good reason to want change, if only to provide some sense of stability.

Henyard’s name has become synonymous with controversy, including allegations of financial mismanagement, corruption and misuse of power. What this means for the citizens of Dolton is chaos and uncertainty. In Dolton, residents can’t even be sure their garbage will be collected.

Henyard is under federal investigation, with subpoenas issued for various business and financial records related to her administration. One of her key allies, Deputy police Chief Lewis Lacey, was charged in federal court with bankruptcy fraud, making false statements and declarations in a bankruptcy case, and perjury in August. Henyard’s tenure has been so marred by scandal that 56% of Dolton voters elected to recall her in 2022, though a judge later ruled the votes could not be certified.

Scrutiny in Dolton intensified when former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was called in to investigate. Her probe uncovered alarming expenditures, including over $43,000 spent on Amazon in a single day, all while the village faced a deficit of $3.65 million and $6 million due to vendors.

Lightfoot also revealed that village credit cards were used to fund trips to Austin, Texas; New York City; Atlanta; Las Vegas; and Washington, D.C. Just over 20,000 people live in Dolton.

It is unclear how these trips served their interests. Lightfoot’s most recent report on the village’s finances uncovered plenty more: Dolton still owes vendors $5 million and continues to run a deficit. Major public scandals have roiled the south suburbs before, most notably in Harvey where former Mayor Eric Kellogg was accused of accepting monthly bribes for himself and his family in exchange for permitting a local strip club to secretly offer illegal prostitution services.

Prior to this scandal, Kellogg settled fraud charges with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over fraudulent municipal bond offerings in which investors were misled into believing their funds would be used for a Holiday Inn hotel project.

Chicago’s south suburbs are hardly alone in these stories. Look at Dixon to see how another local politician gamed local government for private benefit. But south suburban residents have been disproportionately affected by the rising cost of government — reflected in their property tax bills — even as their ability to pay has diminished.

Median property tax bills across the south suburbs went up 20% in 2024, according to Tribune reporting . The problem with property taxes in Dolton had been growing even before the pandemic — Civic Federation research shows Dolton residential property taxes increased by 109% between 2005 and 2019, with an effective property tax rate of 7% in 2019. For that kind of money, taxpayers should be getting top-of-the-line service, not dysfunction.

The median household income in Dolton is $58,706 , nearly $23,000 below the statewide median household income. This editorial board wants to see the south suburbs prosper. That can’t happen if suburban leaders engage in public scuffles with their political critics.

Voters in both Dolton and the Thornton Township community have a chance for a fresh start — they should take it. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected] .

.