Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard faces voters in primary election

DOLTON, Ill. - Voters in south suburban Dolton will have their say today in a primary election between embattled incumbent Mayor Tiffany Henyard and former ally-turned-challenger Jason House, a village trustee.

House’s slogan is "clean house," an apparent reference to the many allegations of wrongdoing and mismanagement surrounding Henyard’s tenure as mayor of the village of about 20,000 residents.

Dolton voters will also vote for village clerk and three trustee positions.

Primary election day

What we know:

Henyard dropped by a voting site on Tuesday morning and predicted that she would win reelection. She arrived to the voting site with a car stereo turned up to a campaign song she recorded titled, "We the People."

"Well, I see no competition, so when I come in with a landslide this evening, [it will] be so great," Henyard said to gathered media. "Y'all can all come to the after party and we can talk about it."

For his part, House said the past few years have not represented the "true Dolton." He's promised more transparency, a reference to allegations of financial mismanagement under Henyard's administration.

"Not only is Ms. Henyard depriving the public of what they deserved it’s costing the village money, so day one, every record will be turned over," he said on Tuesday. "We’ve already started demonstrating that by making it a lot easier and residents will get the service they deserve."

Henyard’s tumultuous term

The backstory:

Henyard’s time in office as both Dolton’s mayor and the Thornton Township supervisor has been marked by investigations over allegations of mishandling village money, complaints from local business owners, and even a brawl that broke out at a township board meeting.

In May 2024, Henyard was named in a subpoena seeking Village of Dolton financial records going back to just before her election in 2021. Federal investigators were reportedly focusing on pricey out-of-state travel by Henyard and her associates, including first-class plane tickets to cities around the country.

The Village of Dolton also hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot last year to investigate Henyard and alleged mishandling of village funds. Lightfoot found the village was in a "dire" financial situation, including a general fund balance that went from a $5.6 million surplus in April of 2022 to a $3.6 million deficit in May 2024.

The investigation found six credit cards that were used for expensive purchases, although receipts for those purchase were "rarely provided."

‘We’re kinda like a joke’

What they're saying:

Voters coming to the polls on Tuesday said they want to use this election to change the image of Dolton.

"The way that the present mayor has been doing things just hasn't been sitting right with me and I thought that it was very important for me to come and vote today," said Sharon Hunley, a Dolton resident and voter.

Another voter put it more bluntly.

"We’re kinda like a joke, it’s not a good thing, it’s embarrassing," said Regan Lewis.

Thomas Shelton, another resident, who said he voted for Henyard in 2021, argued for change in village government.

"Everyone needs a change, and right now," Shelton said. "Everyone is just looking for a change right now. So I just came out to do my duty, to vote, just to try to get that change."

Henyard said she has been campaigning although she hadn't been seen in public in recent days.

House was expected to vote Tuesday morning at a local elementary school.