On April 8th, the Illinois village of Dolton appointed Lori Lightfoot, a former mayor of Chicago, as its Special Investigator to probe Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard.
Lightfoot will receive $400 per hour beginning April 9th to investigate allegations of state and federal infractions and Henyard’s alleged financial and spending mismanagement.
Lightfoot assured the locals that she will follow the facts wherever they may lead before Monday’s vote, saying that she understood their desire to move away from Henyard’s leadership. Lightfoot will submit a report detailing her findings to the Village of Dolton once her inquiry is complete. What follows that is dependent on the report’s findings.
Additionally, the trustees re-voted on matters that the mayor of Dolton had already rejected, including the payment of vendors and outstanding debts from the Village.
Reports show that since Monday’s gathering wasn’t an ordinary Village Board meeting, the voting took place inside the Park District headquarters rather than on-site to accommodate locals who wished to appear.
Furious exchanges between residents and the scandal-plagued mayor were front and center at last week’s monthly town hall session.
Spending public funds on indulgences like a trip to Las Vegas and arming police in retaliatory company raids are just two of the many allegations against Henyard. Last month, she blocked the board’s motion to investigate her expenditures after allegations of misappropriation of taxpayer funds.
An ex-employee of the village had accused the trustee of Dolton of sexually abusing her when they were in Las Vegas. Members of Henyard’s administration allegedly tried to cover up the accusations and disciplined the victim and the police officer who had been made aware of the alleged assault.
The village board has levied charges against Henyard, including irresponsible spending and improper activities, for squandering public money. They claim that Henyard has ignored their repeated requests for accounting documents and financial data.
The board’s resolution had requested that the FBI conduct further investigations into Henyard’s use of town funds, as the bureau had already started investigating her for suspected abuse of her local police force.
