DOLTON, IL. — The eccentric self-described “super mayor” of a Chicago suburb was compared to a South American dictator by disgruntled constituents, who complained about massive billboards bearing her face across town and the “militarization” of local police against her political enemies.
“Keeping my promises, Fighting for my residents,” reads one sign alongside the face of Mayor Tiffany Henyard on a shuttered strip of downtown Dolton, Illinois.
“The people’s choice,” reads another bearing her bejeweled visage not 300 feet away.
Across the street, another says “Congratulations on making history Tiffany A. Henyard, Thornton Township Supervisor,” showing the 40-year-old mayor smiling in a pink blazer.
“It’s Venezuela. Isn’t that what they are doing out there with Maduro? His face is all over, like I’m the dictator,” a 66-year-old Dolton resident said of the Henyard posters.
“It’s like a dictator. There is no call for it,” he added.
Henyard was first elected in 2021 to lead the small town of 20,000 people about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago.
She has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for a laundry list of antics, including accusations of blowing thousands in public funds on luxury travel and dining, turning local police into both her personal bodyguards and backup dancers for music videos, and hiring DJs for town meetings — all while the city falls $5 million into debt.
“She’s … power hungry. She doesn’t care how much she bleeds an area out of resources. It’s her life and that’s it,” the resident said, accusing Henyard of using cops to corral and harass dissenters.
“This town, the people have to watch. A lot of these people are scared because this police department is militaristic right now with her in it,” he said, declining to give his name over fears of retribution.
The concerned citizen was not the only one voicing such fears — Dolton Trustee Kiana Belcher said former Dolton Chief of Police Robert Collins admitted the mayor forced him to target people.
“She’ll have the police follow you and give tickets,” Belcher said. “I went out of town and she had one of the officers… give me tickets… It was a manipulation tactic.”
When she confronted Collins, Belcher said the chief didn’t hesitate to blame Henyard.
“He looked down at me and said ‘She told me to write them,’” Belcher said.
Collins — who was reportedly fired by Henyard late last year — could not be reached for comment.
The ex-police chief is suing the Village of Dolton for wrongful termination, Fox 32 reported. He claims in the suit that the mayor terminated him without cause or board approval because she believed his wife was friends with her perceived political enemies.
Belcher and Henyard previously worked alongside each other as town trustees — and she even supported the mayor’s campaign — but their relationship soured soon after the election.
“We thought it would be something great — a young person in office. She had already been on the board. It was a different outlook for the town forward,” she said.
“It started probably two weeks after she had been in office as mayor. We got a bill for the inauguration. The bill was like $15,000.”
“It was a big party basically,” Belcher said, explaining Henyard promised to pay with campaign funds but the town ended up footing the bill instead. And it was just the beginning of town-funded parties.
“The spending has become unbearable for the residents. It’s parties and a lot of events. It’s resources in reference to making it look like something is being done but we really can’t afford it.”
“If there is a party, she’s going to make it happen,” she added, pointing out plans for a Valentine’s Day party at a skating rink she said Henyard had built on public property without proper approval.
“They do more planning parties than doing work for the community.”
When a Post reporter and photographer showed up at the “Love on the Ice” Valentine’s Day dinner Wednesday night, four police officers blocked them from entering the event — despite it being on public property.
One officer said she received “an order” to ensure that they stay put on the sidewalk and she and another cop watched the pair for more than an hour as Henyard went igloo to igloo taking selfies with residents while R&B music and chants of “Super mayor!” blasted from speakers.
Henyard was flanked by an assistant and two cops — including the highest-ranking police official in Dolton, Police Deputy Chief Lewis Lacey, who acted like her bodyguard the entire night.
Lacey told The Post that the mayor would not be doing interviews and physically blocked a Post photographer from taking pictures of her by stepping in front of her or holding up a jacket.
Heynard ignored shouted questions from The Post throughout the night.
Beyond parties, Belcher said bills to the tune of $1 million have piled up from paying overtime to cops made to serve as Henyard’s personal security detail, first assigned after a protest over a shooting in 2021.
“She just latched on and kept the detail,” Belcher said. “The contract says that you can have a detail but it should be on their shift and it changes. But with her people, they pick up at 10:00 and drop off at 12:00, 1:00 in the morning, so it’s all overtime hours.”
“They pick up her daughter from school, they go shopping,” she said. “A million dollars of overtime for the police department is absurd. We can’t afford it.”
The claims are supported by Collins who told the local Fox station that the mayor’s nonstop security detail not only wasted taxpayer money but became a safety issue.
“We needed those officers to be on the street fighting crime. Instead, we have several officers that are riding around protecting the mayor,” he told the station. “Wrong is wrong, and there’s a time to hold people responsible and accountable for their actions.”
As for the omnipresent billboards around town and other shows of flamboyant publicity, Belcher said they are indicators of how Henyard’s power has “made her head so big.”
“It’s sad… It’s you see her, you see her, you see her. You see the face and name so it’s always going to be in your head,” she said. “She’s marketing and branding herself. She don’t care about all this publicity. She’s like ‘Oh they see me.”
“It’s not about doing what’s right for the community, it’s about how far am I going to get with who I am.”
Henyard, who also serves as Thornton Township supervisor, lashed out at the village trustees last week after they filed a lawsuit alleging she forged checks and withheld financial records.
“You all should be ashamed of yourselves because you all are black. You all are black,” she said during a meeting on February 5. “And you all [are] sitting up here beating and attacking a black woman that’s in power.”
Henyard — who takes home $285,000 in salary from her political positions — has also faced criticism for a salary ordinance she proposed and passed which would cut the pay by 90% for whoever takes her seat if she loses the next election, Fox 32 reported. Her salary, however, would remain the same.
Many longtime residents feel they’ve had enough.
“She’s really ruining the town of Dolton,” said 72-year-old Antoinette, “We used to have a lot of trees put up here. She’s taken them down.”
Additional reporting by Allie Griffin
