Thornton Township residents rally for transparency as lawsuits pile up for Tiffany Henyard
THORNTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. (CBS) -- People in Thornton Township are demanding transparency and accountability from their leaders. This comes after a series of claims and concerns involving Tiffany Henyard, township supervisor and mayor of Dolton.
Dozens of residents joined a rally in Calumet City Saturday afternoon.
Accusations and lawsuits have been piling up for Henyard. The people gathered said they want change, and they want to take their township back. They are asking for greater transparency on how their tax dollars are spent.
Residents are fed up seeing Henyard make headlines for the wrong reasons.
"The township has just turned into basically a bingo parlor, parties and different other things that she thinks that is helping the community," said South Holland resident Gardis Watts.
Dolton Village trustees accuse Henyard of misusing funds while the village is millions of dollars in debt. Former employees accuse her of wrongful termination. Others claim she covered up alleged sexual misconduct involving a village trustee during a trip to Las Vegas.
"What does it take to put Dolton on the global map? Well, now we know: maybe what people are calling the worst mayor in the country," said David Greising, president of the Better Government Association. "The litany of claims and concerns about Tiffany Henyard are concerning to anybody who believes in transparent, equitable and accountable governement."
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was hired to investigate claims against Henyard.
Dolton also has the attention of the FBI.
Village administrator Keith Freeman faces federal bankruptcy fraud charges. Federal agents were seen inside the village hall just last week.
"We have to start putting in mechanisms to keep this from happening to us. We are just here to rally to get everybody together so we can politically organize to take back our township," said Watts.