In a chaotic turn of events, Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard found herself at the center of a violent altercation during a town meeting on Monday night.
Just one day after an independent investigation revealed her extravagant misuse of taxpayer funds, Henyard was involved in a shocking brawl that erupted after activist Jedidiah Brown criticized her leadership.
The Beginning of the Chaos
The confrontation started when Brown, a vocal critic of Henyard, addressed the crowd at the town meeting.
He unleashed a series of insults aimed at the mayor, calling her a “half-a**ed mayor” and accusing her of “sleeping her way to the top.”
He even made personal remarks about her never getting married.
Brown then proposed a motion to put Henyard’s boyfriend, Kamal Woods, and ally William Moore on paid administrative leave.
Henyard, clearly incensed by the attack, responded sharply, calling Brown’s remarks “retaliatory” and quipping, “Thank you for the lawsuit.”
As Brown began to walk away, the situation quickly escalated when comments were exchanged between Woods and others in the room.
In a flash, Woods charged at Brown, sparking a full-blown brawl.
Henyard, who was already at the podium, joined the melee, losing both her wig and a shoe during the fight.
Witnesses reported that multiple TVs were smashed, and people were even jumping on tables.
A Political Brawl Gone Too Far
The scuffle left attendees stunned, with some describing it as a “scary” and “horrible” incident.
Meghan Dudek, a witness at the meeting, told NBC Chicago that it was an “embarrassment” to witness a politician engage in such violent behavior.
Brown, the activist involved, was seen attempting to file a police report afterward.
However, by the time authorities arrived, all the main participants had fled the scene.
Despite the violent outburst, no arrests were made, and it remains unclear if anyone was injured during the altercation.
The meeting itself had been scheduled to discuss the reinstatement of the town’s insurance policies, which had left residents without social services for over a month.
The Scandalous Report and Financial Mismanagement
The town meeting followed the release of a bombshell report by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which detailed Henyard’s questionable financial practices.
Lightfoot’s investigation uncovered that Henyard had racked up an astonishing $779,638 in credit card charges in 2023, much of which was poorly tracked or undocumented.
Among the outrageous expenses were over $50,000 spent on artificial ice tiles for a rink Henyard promoted on social media, as well as extravagant trips to Las Vegas in 2022 and 2023, where Henyard and others in her administration used town funds to cover their travel and entertainment costs.
In total, Henyard allegedly used town and township credit cards to spend over $171,000 on travel-related expenses between 2021 and 2024.
The investigation also revealed that Henyard charged over $50,000 at local restaurants, as well as making purchases at stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon, totaling more than $218,000.
Shockingly, Henyard even billed the town for over $7,000 in hair and makeup expenses, categorizing them as “assistant” costs.
The Fallout and Calls for Accountability
As a result of the investigation, Dolton’s Board of Trustees banned Henyard from using town credit cards in August 2024.
The report also revealed a severe decline in Dolton’s financial health, with a surplus of $5.61 million in 2022 shrinking to a deficit of $3.65 million by 2024.
Lightfoot also highlighted that a portion of the $3 million the town received from the American Rescue Plan had gone missing without proper receipts.
Henyard, who has been under fire for months, continues to assert that the financial difficulties are the result of political sabotage.
She is currently campaigning to reclaim the Democratic nomination for Dolton mayor, despite her recent defeat in a rowdy Democratic primary for the Thornton Township supervisor position.
In an interview, Henyard blamed her loss on “voter suppression,” and she remains confident she will appear on the ballot for the township supervisor role in April.
The Future of Henyard’s Political Career
With the release of this damning report and the chaos that unfolded at the town meeting, Henyard’s political future seems uncertain.
As residents and officials demand accountability for the alleged financial mismanagement, Henyard is facing mounting pressure to address the accusations and restore public trust.
Whether or not she will successfully recover from these scandals and retain her position remains to be seen.
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