The Illinois politician dubbed ‘America’s Worst Mayor’ lost her re-election battle by a landslide – just weeks after taking part in a chaotic brawl at a council meeting.
Tiffany Henyard, the mayor of Dolton, Illinois, has been accused of mismanaging millions of dollars, being derelict on rent, and sinking the village into crippling debt.
She has also become a public spectacle, having gotten into a physical fight and local activists in a nearby town where she serves as a supervisor.
Despite declaring earlier in the day that she had ‘no competition’ and would win in a ‘landslide,’ Village Trustee Jason House blew out Henyard in Tuesday’s Democrat primary, winning 87.9% of the votes.
Henyard, 41, could muster up just 536 Democrats willing to re-elect her, just over 12%.
House did all he could to rub it in, dancing to the podium to declare victory to the tune of Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘Not Like Us,’ according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
When asked her thoughts, she could only muster that ‘the people have spoken’ and ‘God must have a different plan.’
Questioned by WGN what she would do with her tainted career next: ‘Stay tuned.’
Just weeks after taking part in a council meeting brawl , ‘America’s Worst Mayor’ Tiffany Henyard lost her re-election campaign without putting up much of a fight
Despite declaring earlier in the day that she had ‘no competition’ and would win in a ‘landslide,’ Village Trustee Jason House blew out Henyard in Tuesday’s Democrat primary, winning 87.9% of the votes
It was a far cry from earlier in the day, where she predicted a victory equivalent to the one her opposition claimed Tuesday night.
‘Well, I see no competition, so when I come in with a landslide this evening, [it will] be so great,’ she told Fox 32 hours before polls closed.
House – a veteran of the village chamber of commerce as well as a trustee – declared the end of a corrupt era in the village of just 21,000-plus residents.
‘We faced four years of intimidation, four years of failure, and tonight is the new day for the village of Dolton,’ House said.
‘Today marks the end to a dark time for Dolton. If you want to pass the buck, pass that seat with it.’
Lawrence Gardner, a former business owner who claimed Henyard targeted his trucking company until it closed, was even more celebratory.
‘The Wicked Witch of the West is dead! It’s over. Now we have to go another eight weeks to bury her,’ he told the New York Post.
‘If I can do a backwards hand flip right now – and I’m 67-years-old next month – I would definitely do it,’ added fellow anti-Henyard voter
The Dolton, Illinois mayor has been accused of mismanaging millions of the village’s dollars , being derelict on rent , and sinking the village into crippling debt
‘We’re kinda like a joke,’ Regan Lewis told Fox 32. ‘It’s not a good thing, it’s embarrassing.’
House will face an independent candidate in the general election held on April 1.
This appears to be the end of Henyard’s scandal plagued reign over the tiny village of Dolton.
In January, an independent investigation detailed how she allegedly mismanaged millions of dollars worth of taxpayer funds during her controversial tenure as Dolton mayor.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot revealed the findings of her independent investigation into the alleged wrongdoings of Henyard.
She made no comment on the report at the meeting in Thornton Township the next night.
Lightfoot narrated her findings during a town meeting that was packed with aggrieved residents, though there was no sign of the so-called ‘Super Mayor’, FOX32 reported.
‘At least as early as late 2021, there was a concerted, systematic effort on behalf of Mayor Henyard and others in her administration to hide the true financial condition of the Village of Dolton from the trustees and from members of the public,’ Lightfoot said at the meeting.
![She had predicted a victory equivalent to the one House claimed Tuesday night. 'Well, I see no competition, so when I come in with a landslide this evening, [it will] be so great,' she said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/26/05/95593425-14437123-image-a-51_1740546749177.jpg)
She had predicted a victory equivalent to the one House claimed Tuesday night. ‘Well, I see no competition, so when I come in with a landslide this evening, [it will] be so great,’ she said
Lightfoot’s 73-page report explained that there was a whopping $779,638 charged to town credit cards in 2023, with little to no tracking of the actual expenses.
More than $50,000 spent on artificial ice tiles, which could have been used to build the town ice skating rink Henyard promoted on Instagram in February 2023.
At least six government credit cards were also used to pay for glamorous getaways Henyard took to Las Vegas in May 2022 and May 2023, according to the report.
‘Financial records from the village and Thornton Township reflect that a number of people traveled to Las Vegas on both of these trips,’ Lightfoot said. ‘And the expense of their travel, their lodging, their meals and entertainment were paid for on village and township credit cards.’
‘There’s no evidence that business development opportunities came to the village as a result of either of these two trips,’ she concluded, prompting a groan from the audience.
From 2021 through June 2024, credit cards were used for over $171,000 in travel-related expenses, including airfare, baggage fees, hotels, meals and rental cars.
The report also revealed that over $50,000 was spent at local restaurants. Purchases were also made at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Wayfair, Walgreens, Apple and Walmart.
An additional $218,000 was spent on Amazon over the four-year-span Henyard has been in charge.
House will face an independent candidate in the general election held on April 1
There’s also evidence that Henyard charged the town more than $7000 for her hair and makeup team, listing it as an ‘assistant’ cost.
‘Many of the credit card expenditures have no accompanying receipt, and the statements alone provide limited information about the purchases,’ according to the report.
As a result of this spending frenzy, allegedly done by Henyard, the Dolton Board of Trustees banned her from using town credit cards in August 2024.
The report also alleged that Dolton had a budget surplus of $5.61 million in April 2022 that quickly shrank to a $3.65 million deficit by May 2024.
Lightfoot said Dolton received some $3 million in payments from the American Rescue Plan, a COVID-19 stimulus bill signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
According to Lightfoot, hundreds of thousands of the original $3 million in ARPA funds went missing without receipts.
Henyard also failed to appoint an official to oversee the massive sum of money, a requirement put in place by the Treasury Department, Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot was hired in April 2024 to conduct the forensic accounting investigation by Dolton town trustees.
During a rowdy caucus meeting in December, Henyard lost the Democratic primary to lead Thornton Township, a position she’s held since 2022. Thornton was where Henyard was thrown to the floor in a tussle that broke out after her boyfriend rushed to defend her honor
Lightfoot was asked multiple times by residents if Henyard will face criminal charges or if she’ll be held accountable, but she failed to provide a solid answer.
During a rowdy caucus meeting in December, Henyard lost the Democratic primary to lead Thornton Township, a position she’s held since 2022.
Thornton was where Henyard was thrown to the floor in a tussle that broke out after her boyfriend rushed to defend her honor.
The saga began when activist Jedidiah Brown, a frequent critic of Henyard, took to the podium and launched an aggressive tirade at the mayor that ended with him calling her a ‘b***h’.
Brown accused Henyard of ‘sleeping her way to the top’, being a ‘half-a**ed mayor’, and even suggested she would never get married, ABC7 reported.
He then asked the room to vote on a measure to place Henyard’s boyfriend Kamal Woods and ally William Moore on paid administrative leave from the town, before ending his comments by saying: ‘You gone, b****!’
‘Thank you for the lawsuit,’ Henyard hit back, as Brown began to walk away.
But before he could return to his seat, Woods – who allegedly made six figures to run the township’s at-risk youth program before getting ordered on paid leave – charged at the activist. At least one other man stepped in to the fracas and the massive brawl broke out.
Jedidiah Brown, a frequent critic of Henyard, made wild accusations against her at the meeting, ending his comments by saying: ‘You gone, b****!’
Henyard’s allies spent punches flying after rushing to her defense Tuesday night.
As the brawl broke out, the mayor allegedly pushed her table aside and rushed towards the chaos.
Henyard was seen bolting into the melee herself, at one point losing her wig, according to multiple witnesses.
CBS Chicago also reported that Henyard lost a shoe and was thrown to the floor during the fight.
It was reported that multiple televisions in the room were smashed due to the fighting and some people were even witnessed jumping on tables.
No one appears to have been arrested and police claimed that everyone directly involved fled the scene by the time police arrived.
‘I have never seen a politician jump in and fight like that – it was scary and horrible- It is an embarrassment,’ attendee Meghan Dudek told NBC Chicago.
Brown was seen live-streaming himself attempting to file a police report following the tussle.
‘I have never seen a politician jump in and fight like that – it was scary and horrible- It is an embarrassment,’ attendee Meghan Dudek said
He later pledged to ‘use every bit of my research and skill to scoop up every receipt, I may have missed on them all’.
No one appears to have been arrested and police claimed that everyone directly involved fled the scene by the time they arrived.
In an interview with ABC 7, Henyard later said her loss in Thornton was caused by ‘voter suppression.’
She insisted she’ll be on the ballot come April for the township supervisor position.
‘One hundred percent confident that I will be,’ she said. ‘They did a lot of illegal actions, which my lawyer is drawing up the lawsuit currently.’
