Tiffany Henyard

Tiffany Aiesha Henyard (born June 18, 1983) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as mayor of Dolton, Illinois from 2021 to 2025 and as supervisor of Thornton Township, Illinois from 2022 to 2025. She previously served two terms as a member of the Dolton Village Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2021. Henyard was elected trustee in 2013 and 2017, and was elected mayor in 2021. She was appointed township supervisor in 2022. The Hill and Newsweek have reported that Henyard was dubbed "America's worst mayor".

During her tenure as mayor and supervisor, Henyard was the subject of multiple investigations and legal proceedings concerning official misconduct and mismanagement of public funds. In 2024, the Illinois Attorney General ordered a charitable organization associated with her to cease soliciting donations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also conducted inquiries and issued subpoenas related to village operations. As of 2024, Henyard was under civil investigation by the Illinois Department of Human Rights and was named as a defendant in several lawsuits.

In 2025, Henyard ran for reelection as mayor of Dolton. She was defeated in the Democratic primary, 88%12%, by trustee Jason House. Also in 2025, she sought election as Thornton Township supervisor; she did not receive the Democratic nomination. Henyard later relocated to Fulton County, Georgia, where she is running for the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in 2026 as a Republican.

Early life, education, and personal life Henyard grew up in Dolton. She has stated that she earned a degree in business administration from Robert Morris University Illinois; however, a subsequent investigation was unable to substantiate this claim.

In 2011, Henyard began her involvement in government and politics by working on then-Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's "Put Illinois to Work" initiative.

Henyard is a single mother.

Business career In August 2019, WBBM-TV reported that a property owned by Henyard and rented under the Section 8 housing program had severe mold and water leakage issues. Later that year, the station reported that the property had been deemed uninhabitable and the tenant was forced to relocate, while Henyard continued to receive housing subsidies for the property. The tenant alleged that Henyard failed to address the mold issue, and the reports prompted further scrutiny of the property's inspection record.

Henyard founded a restaurant business called Good Burger in Calumet City, Illinois. The business later closed before opening a new location on the campus of South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois in 2024. The restaurant was the subject of complaints regarding sanitary conditions and permit compliance, and records indicated that the company was delinquent on rent payments. The business was involuntarily dissolved by the Illinois Secretary of State in 2022.

Dolton village trustee (2013–2021) Henyard served two terms as a village trustee in Dolton. She was first elected in the 2013 plurality-at-large election, and was re-elected in 2017. During her tenure, she was a frequent critic of then-Mayor Riley Rogers.

In 2018, Henyard was one of two trustees who voted against overturning Rogers's veto of the city's budget appropriation for the 2018–2019 fiscal year. The board overrode the veto in a 4–2 vote, after which ten village employees were laid off. That year, Henyard joined other trustees in an unsuccessful legal effort to prevent ballot measures supported by Rogers from appearing on the ballot. The measures, which proposed reducing the size of the board of trustees and imposing term limits, were later rejected by voters.

As trustee, Henyard started the village's Block by Block program, which allowed individuals to purchase vacant houses for $5,000 in an effort to restore properties to the tax rolls. and subsequently defeated independent candidate Ronnie Burge in the general election with approximately 82 percent of the vote.

Henyard campaigned with a slate of candidates referred to as the Dream Team. From this group, trustee candidates Kiana Belcher and incumbent Jason House were elected, along with village clerk candidate Alison Key. Relations between Henyard and these officials later deteriorated, and by 2022, they joined other members of the village board in legal actions involving Henyard.

2025 Henyard sought reelection in 2025 but was defeated in the Democratic primary on February 25, 2025, by trustee Jason House, who received approximately 88 percent of the vote to Henyard's 12 percent. House had originally been aligned with Henyard when they ran on a joint ticket in 2021, but had become fiercely opposed to her during the course of her mayoralty.

Henyard's tenure was scandal-plagued, attracting much criticism.

Governance conflicts Within the first months of her administration, Henyard faced criticism from members of the village board regarding government transparency and the use of municipal funds. In 2021, the board filed a lawsuit alleging conflicts of interest and later voted to censure her. Henyard accused certain trustees of disrupting village operations,

In October 2021, the board voted to require that hiring and firing decisions be made with its advice and consent; That year, protests followed a fatal shooting by a police officer in Dolton, during which Henyard was criticized by demonstrators.

Administrative actions During her tenure, Henyard appointed and later dismissed several department officials, including police chief Robert Collins, whom she rehired upon taking office and fired in 2023. In 2024, Collins filed a wrongful termination lawsuit alleging that his removal was without cause and without board approval, and that it had been motivated as retribution for the mayor's perception of his wife and a number of his personal acquaintances as being political adversaries.

In October 2021, Henyard appointed Dorothy Brown as Dolton's village administrator. The decision drew criticism and Brown left the role within a month.

Financial mismanagement By 2022, Henyard faced allegations of spending village funds without proper approval from the board of trustees or the village clerk. Trustees and Henyard argued at council meetings over city spending.

The board of trustees frequently challenged Henyard's spending decisions. Trustees reported that by early 2024, Dolton had accumulated approximately $7 million in debt and warned that the village was at risk of financial insolvency. Henyard contended that the cuts would bankrupt the village.

In 2023 and 2024, multiple news outlets reported on Henyard's use of a police security detail, estimating that it had cost the village approximately hundreds of thousands to $1 million. Trustees argued that diverting police resources for this purpose negatively affected public safety, and in 2021 had voted to attempt to require her to pay the city back for her police protection. By April 2024, the village was listed as a defendant in nearly 40 active lawsuits. That month, the board hired Lori Lightfoot to review Henyard's management of public funds. Lightfoot's report, released in January 2025, concluded that Henyard engaged in excessive spending, withheld financial information, and failed to maintain transparency. Henyard denied the allegations, describing them as being made by disgruntled employees.

In 2024, Redeemed Christian Church of God Resurrection Power Assembly filed a lawsuit against Henyard and the village, alleging discrimination and improper application of zoning codes when the village prevented the church from renovating a building it had acquired. That same year, Samysha Williams, a 2023 Dolton village trustee candidate, filed a lawsuit accusing Henyard and her campaign of defamation and wrongful termination from her job at the village while taking family leave in 2022.

Henyard's administration also faced financial disputes with vendors and creditors. In February 2024, KS State Bank warned the village that 13 Dolton police department vehicles were subject to repossession over unpaid balances. Trustees stated that payment authorization had been granted months earlier, while Henyard contended the board had withheld approval.

Dolton residents, government employees, and business owners have alleged that Henyard used her position to retaliate against perceived political opponents, including claims that she directed Dolton police to target businesses whose owners did not support her and to solicit campaign contributions. She has also been accused of dismissing several village employees for political reasons.

Recall attempt and aftermath In 2022, the Dolton Village Board attempted to initiate a recall election, placing two referendum questions on the ballot—one to establish a recall mechanism