Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard skips meeting, trustees take action on spending

DOLTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard was a no-show at a special meeting called by village trustees, where they took sweeping action to limit spending, grant business licenses and approve a new firefighter's contract.

While Henyard was not present, she was still the target of scathing public comment.

"We have been fighting this demon for the last three years, and I did call her a demon, and I meant what I said, and I said what I meant," said one resident in attendance.

"I'm not going to stop until she's behind bars," said another.

Without Henyard present, the trustees took sweeping action, approving a temporary moratorium on travel and meal reimbursement for elected officials and employees, amending rules on check signing requirements, and approving 18 business licenses that trustees said had been held up.

The board also approved a new firefighter contract that it negotiated with its attorney through 2027 after the union went without one for four years.

Firefighters blame Henyard for numerous canceled bargaining sessions.

"The trustees did what they had to do, and it was slam dunk. Everything went very well," said Lt. Adam Farej, Dolton Fire Local 3766.

Trustees also finalized action to fire Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey, who pleaded not guilty last month to federal bankruptcy fraud charges. That same day, Henyard and lacey were recorded telling officers he's still in charge of the department, but now the state agency which certifies police officers lists Lacey as "inactive," with an August 14 separation date from Dolton police.

"This is our community. We need to take it back, and we will continue to fight as we've been doing for the past three and a half years," trustee Kiana Belcher said.

Henyard's attorney, Beau Brindley, released a statement on Friday, saying, "This is not a legitimate meeting. It is an unauthorized effort by 4 trustees to circumvent the law and illegally usurp the powers of mayor. We will not attend such an illegal and unsanctioned meeting. The mayor will hold a press conference in the coming days at which we will directly address the illegal acts of these trustees and the consequences that will follow."