The self-anointed “supermayor” of a suburb of Chicago is finding herself in hot water after she held a lavish party that was paid for by taxpayers.
Local media reported recently that Tiffany Henyard, the Democratic mayor of the town of Dolton, Illinois, threw a party last month that cost $85,000. It featured rapper J. Holiday and R&B singer Keke Wyatt, though there was a very small audience who ended up attending.
This isn’t the first time Henyard has faced criticism for spending taxpayer money. She’s apparently done it in the past to fund concerts, travel with first-class accommodations and much more.
Valeria Stubbs, a former trustee of Dolton who attended the “Taste of Thornton Township” event that included the mini-concert, called the event “a flop.”
For 30 minutes of singing, Wyatt received $30,000. J. Holiday also put on a 30-minute set and was paid $20,000 for that. That information came from a local media outlet that filed a Freedom of Information Act request.
Another $6,600 was spent by the township to rent inflatable bounce houses. Other big costs included a sound system, comedians, equipment and staff. The reported total cost for the event was more than $85,000.
Jennifer Robertz, a resident of nearby Lansing, told a local media outlet:
“I was flabbergasted. I was pissed off. That’s my money. That’s the people’s money.”
Henyard has had many feuds with other local officials and even residents over allegations of corruption and excessive spending. An impasse with the Village of Dolton’s Board of Trustees was extended recently after Henyard went forward with a board meeting, even though the trustees had already postponed it.
At that meeting, Henyard declared that even though the village’s finances were in the red, she was able to clean it up.
The mayor has also vetoed the board’s request to launch a full federal investigation into the alleged misuse of taxpayers funds. She also vetoed the group hiring Lori Lightfoot, the former mayor of Chicago, to lead a special investigation into Henyard’s activities.
Back in May, the board even appointed a mayor pro tempore who would serve in Henyard’s place should she not exercise her duties.
Lightfoot’s investigation into the financial situation of the town initially revealed that the general fund balance for Dolton was $5.61 billion in 2022. By May of 2024, though, that number dropped all the way down to a deficit of $3.65 million. That’s a huge swing of $9.26 million.
Trustees have already started to institute layoffs and also said they’re working on their own budget so they can get the finances of the village back in order.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to Henyard and her office, but didn’t receive a return call.
This is another controversy surrounding a major elected official in the Chicago region. Lightfoot herself was no stranger to controversy for her time in office, including disobeying her own lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic to attend Black Lives Matters protests.
