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Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard faces eviction, landlord speaks out: 'I have nowhere else to turn'

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Updated  October 25, 2024 11:21am CDT
Dolton
FOX 32 Chicago

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard facing eviction, landlord speaks out

Controversial Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard has a new battle on her hands.

The Brief 

    • Eviction and unpaid rent: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard and her boyfriend Kamal Woods have not paid rent since August, leading to an eviction lawsuit filed by their landlord, Genetta Hull.
    • Landlord's struggles: Hull, who once considered Henyard a friend, claims they owe thousands in back rent, changed the locks to keep her out, and have avoided legal service.
    • Ongoing legal and financial concerns: Henyard is currently under FBI investigation for extravagant spending and questionable use of taxpayer money. Despite the couple's possible payment of back rent, Hull still intends to evict them from her property.

DOLTON, Ill. - Controversial Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard has a new battle on her hands. She's being evicted for not paying her rent and now, Henyard’s landlord is speaking out about her tenant trouble.

Henyard and her boyfriend Kamal Woods are together pulling down well over $300,000 from taxpayers, according to public payrolls.

But, they haven't paid their rent since August and now their landlord said she's had enough.

"Initially I didn't want to go on camera. I'm not the kind of person that is doing it for clickbait. That's not the type of person I am," said Genetta Hull. "But right now I feel I'm at wits' end. I have nowhere else to turn."

Hull said she once considered Henyard a friend and even did campaign work for the Dolton mayor and Thornton Township supervisor.

However, things changed in 2021 when she was about to rent out the three-bedroom, two-bath home she owns in Dolton to a family—until she got a late night call from the mayor. 

"And then she's like, 'I hear you're renting your house.' I said, 'yeah, I have somebody who's moving in soon,'" said Hull. "And she says, 'no, they can't move in because I want it.' And I'm like, ‘excuse me?’"

Feeling pressured, Hull said she agreed to rent the house to Henyard and Woods, who holds a six-figure job at the township.

Henyard makes nearly $300,000 as mayor and township supervisor, but is the focus of an ongoing FBI investigation for extravagant spending, questionable contracts, and using tax dollars for personal gain.

Hull said things started to unravel this summer when she was forced to raise the rent by $200 to $2,400 a month because her property taxes went up again. 

"So with that, I had to equate that into the rent and Kamal said he couldn't afford it," Hull said. 

Hull said Henyard and Woods refused to pay the extra rent in August, then stopped paying altogether, failing to deliver rent checks for September and October.

Hull said not only is the couple thousands of dollars behind in rent, but they also changed the locks and garage door code so she couldn't get inside. 

"If I pushed and go over there with a locksmith and try to change them back, I think she's probably going to have me arrested," Hull said.

So Hull went to court in late September and filed an eviction lawsuit against Henyard and Woods, but Cook County sheriffs have tried and failed to serve the lawsuit both at the home and village hall.

Now Hull is paying a process server to track one of them down. 

"It’s a very hard position. I'm between a rock and a hard place," said Hull. "I haven't worked in several months and I am fearful that I may lose the house."

She said Henyard blocked her months ago, but wants to send a message to the embattled mayor. 

"At some point you have to understand that karma's going to catch up to you. Just pay your rent," Hull said.

Hull said even if Henyard and her boyfriend come up with the money, she still wants them out of her house, which is being rented on a month-to-month lease.

Fox 32 reached out to the couple and Henyard's criminal defense attorney but so far have not received a response.