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‘You can’t do stuff like this': Tiffany Henyard, her supporters claim they were cheated in caucus
On a cold night, it was heated in the suburbs as Tiffany Henyard lost the nomination for Thornton Township supervisor.
COOK COUNTY - Thornton Township supervisor Tiffany Henyard, who also serves as the mayor of Dolton, lost her bid for re-election during Tuesday night’s Democratic caucus — but not without controversy.
State Sen. Napoleon Harris was selected as the party’s nominee for supervisor.
What happened?
There was complete chaos in suburban Homewood on Tuesday with misunderstandings about a Democratic caucus led by Sen. Harris. Keep in mind, there hasn't been a Democratic caucus in Thorton township in more than 20 years.
Residents were in line two hours before the caucus was slated to start and learned an "invite only" holiday party was taking place prior.
"The people that attended the party were the ones inside voting. That's unfair to residents in the cold," one attendee told FOX 32's Nate Rodgers.
Inside, the auditorium was already packed with Sen. Harris' supporters who had been allowed to enter beforehand.
Harris told FOX 32, "No other candidate submitted the required paper work" — essentially allowing himself to be the only Democratic candidate on next year's ballot for township supervisor.
Henyard showed up expecting to be added to the ballot as well.
"Napolean, how you not gonna' let people be heard?" Henyard told Harris in a crowd of chaos.
"I think its absolutely absurd," one attendee said.
"Total voter suppression," another added.
In an exclusive interview with FOX 32 before the vote, Henyard expressed frustration with the caucus process, which she argued was unfair to residents who are accustomed to open primaries.
"Us, here at Thornton Township, we always had a primary. Always. We never not had a primary, where 10,000 residents come out and express who they want," she said.
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‘Ran my name through the mud’: Tiffany Henyard sits down for exclusive interview
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, who also serves as Thornton Township supervisor, is gearing up for a critical Democratic caucus amid controversy surrounding her leadership.
Henyard said she would see Harris in court regarding the outcome of the caucus.
Henyard’s loss comes amid growing criticism of her leadership, including disputes with trustees and concerns over township spending transparency.
Sen. Harris closed the night out by saying, "guys have a good night, eat the food and be merry."
The Republican caucus for township positions was also held Tuesday night.
In her exclusive interview with FOX 32, Henyard also addressed controversies surrounding her tenure, emphasizing her determination to grow from challenges.
"I want to show the youth of today and tomorrow, what it looks like to come out of controversy. Yes, y'all did ran my name through the mud and did everything. But guess what? As you pull the dirt on me, I must grow from it, and I will grow from it," she said.