There has been another twist in the ongoing saga in the small Chicago town of Dolton.
The board members of Dolton appointed a mayor pro tempore on Monday to serve in place of embattled Mayor Tiffany Henyard should she refuse to execute her duties, Fox 32 Chicago reports.
Trustee Jason House was voted in as mayor pro tempore – meaning for the time being – at a special meeting and could sign off on village business and pay bills in Henyard’s absence.
Henyard, the self-described “supermayor” of Dolton, and Thornton Township Supervisor, has faced accusations of corruption and has drawn national attention to the small town which has a population of around 21,500. Dolton residents have called for Henyard’s resignation, including booing her at the last Village Board meeting she attended.
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The board says Henyard is ignoring important village business and that their move was necessary so that Dolton can function and residents can receive services. They say she has missed 25 of the special meetings and refuses to allow some business to be put on the agenda for the village’s regular meetings, WGN reports.
“We’re just really trying to make sure that if something critical comes up, that there’s a signature on deck that can move it forward,” House said, according to the media outlet.
“This is not a replacement. This ordinance is strictly in the refusal or inability for the mayor to do her duties, an appointed senior trustee to step in and make sure the necessary documents are signed and business moves forward,” House said during Monday night’s trustee meeting, Fox 32 reports.
According to one report, Henyard is expected to veto the action.
She has already vetoed the board’s request to launch a federal investigation into her alleged misuse of funds and last week vetoed their hiring of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who had been tasked with leading a special investigation into the mayor.
Lightfoot was being paid $400 an hour to gather information on Henyard’s alleged spending and finance mismanagement, but Henyard said she would not be paid.
Henyard has been dubbed the “worst mayor in America” by critics after being accused of misdeeds ranging from weaponizing police raids to spending taxpayer money on luxuries in Las Vegas. Most recently, the scandal-ridden mayor has also come under fire for an alleged sexual assault by one of her allies during the Vegas trip, where the alleged victim claims to have been fired after speaking out. Henyard’s cancer charity is also facing scrutiny.
Last month the FBI served two federal subpoenas as part of an investigation. Henyard herself was not served.
The first one was for employment records, personnel files, and disciplinary reports for 25 Dolton employees, including three police officers and Keith Freeman, who is the village administrator and Henyard’s top aide. Freeman was charged with bankruptcy fraud on Monday.
The second subpoena was served specifically on Freeman, asking for records of all companies associated with him and possible ties to the village.
In February, it was reported that the FBI was investigating the mayor, as six individuals had reportedly spoken to the agency about her alleged misconduct, including “business owners, a former village employee and one or more public officials.”
Fox News Digital requested comment from Henyard’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
Henyard has appealed to racial politics amid her scandals before, proclaiming during a previous meeting, “Y’all got false narratives out there, and y’all should be ashamed of y’all selves. Y’all Black. Y’all are Black! And y’all sitting up here beating and attacking on a Black woman that’s in power. Y’all should be ashamed of y’all selves.”
Fox News Digital previously reported that Henyard has been living like a royal with a combined salary of nearly $300,000 — more than the state’s governor — and frequent use of beauty vendors, despite the 23,000 residents of the Illinois town having a median income of $24,000.
The mayor, who insists “God chose me” and met with President Biden in January, has been said to engage in such wild antics it is like a “real life Parks and Rec situation.”
Fox News’ Alexander Hall and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
