DOLTON, Ill. – In a jaw-dropping meeting on Thursday night, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot presented initial findings from her investigation into the Village of Dolton’s ‘dire’ financial situation.
The bombshell report delved into the spending habits of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard and her alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars, highlighting just how much financial trouble the village is in.
Lightfoot was hired by village trustees in April to serve as a “special investigator” and look into allegations against Henyard, who is facing multiple lawsuits.
The findings were stunning to many community members, with audible gasps from the audience as Lightfoot revealed Dolton’s funds have been declining under Henyard’s leadership. She was elected mayor in 2021.
Lightfoot stated that in April 2022, Dolton’s general fund balance was $5.61 million. By May 2024, the balance had dropped to a deficit of $3.65 million.
The presentation detailed credit card transactions amounting to thousands of dollars and Lightfoot said millions are owed to vendors.
Across the village’s six credit cards that Lightfoot’s team is aware of, receipts for purchases are “rarely provided.”
Lightfoot disclosed that village credit cards have been used to make purchases at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, Wayfair, and other retailers. Notably, one purchase on Amazon amounted to $33,005 on Jan. 5, 2023. That same day, two more purchases were made on the site – one for $4,715 and another for $5,609.92.
“What a slap in the face to everybody that resides in 60419 zip code,” said Trustee Kiana Belcher.
Another significant purchase noted in Lightfoot’s report was made on Sept. 1, 2023 – for $7,699.99 on Wayfair.com.
“I know how I felt when I started seeing these numbers, so I can imagine how all of you are feeling after all this time of being in the dark,” said Lightfoot.
Community members also learned that as of June 18, 2024, at least 589 checks amounting to over $6 million were approved and printed but never sent to vendors.
“Here is proof for everyone to see and even the ones who doubt us, if you don’t see through this, there is nothing I can say to you,” said Trustee Tammy Brown. “February of 2025, clean house.”
In another shocking revelation, the investigation found that two police officers received overtime pay exceeding their annual salaries. One officer’s salary for fiscal year 2024 was $87,295, yet the officer received $114,800 in overtime pay. The second officer, with a salary of $73,515, received $102,077 in overtime pay for fiscal year 2024.
Before Lightfoot made her findings public, sources had told FOX 32 that the Village of Dolton was reportedly millions of dollars in debt and potentially struggling to make payroll in the coming weeks.
The details of the report left community members infuriated.
“My reaction was, I am devastated. I am devastated that this woman came into our town and spent all of our tax money,” said Andrea McKay, who lives in Dolton. “We have senior citizens that can’t even afford basic necessities.”
“I suspected it all along,” said former Village of Dolton Trustee Valeria Stubbs. “Tiffany needs to be locked up. She needs to be made an example out of, that she cannot go around using our money and spending it however she wants to spend it, like the job comes with a cash register.”
Henyard was a no-show at Thursday’s meeting and attorneys for village trustees announced that she has changed the locks at Village Hall once again.
Thursday’s developments follow an already tumultuous week in Dolton. During Monday night’s village board meeting, Mayor Henyard was accompanied by two criminal defense attorneys who joined the board’s closed executive session.
In response to financial pressures, several Dolton employees were laid off at the meeting, and Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey was fired. Trustees cited the need to reduce payroll as the reason for these actions.
On Thursday, it was announced that more layoffs would be coming.
The board also approved a freeze on credit card spending at Monday’s meeting amid an ongoing federal investigation into Mayor Henyard.
Thursday’s presentation is the first of many as Lightfoot and her team continue their probe into the village’s finances.
“There are a number of other things that we know, but we aren’t ready yet. We’ve got to verify them 20 ways to Sunday,” said Lightfoot.
Up next, Lightfoot said they will be examining the “cross-pollination” and “intermingling” with Thornton Township, where Henyard is the supervisor.
Lightfoot said she will also be digging deeper into travel, including two costly taxpayer-funded trips to Las Vegas – one in 2022 and another in 2023.
Source Agencies
