DOLTON, Ill. (WGN) Tiffany Henyard will soon leave public office.
The mayor of Dolton and supervisor of Thornton Township was badly beaten at the ballot box, amid questions about spending, clashes with other local officials and an ongoing FBI Investigation.
affiliate WGN Investigates caught up with Henyard at a recent township food giveaway. She dodged most of our questions, but hinted at a still promising future.
“There’s a lot next,” Henyard said. “Stay tuned.”
What’s known is Henyard spent a lot of money while in public office, some of it on worthwhile programs, but WGN Investigates has found she also personally benefited – more than has been previously reported.
Newly obtained records show Henyard’s gross pay at her two government jobs totaled more than $347,000 last year.
The payout includes a total of $282,812 from the township. That includes an annual salary of $202,950, in addition to allowances for a telephone, vehicle and $59,400 for “expenses.”
WGN Investigates also found Henyard and other township officials collect $400 per day for travel within Illinois and $600 per day for travel outside the state, adding to her total compensation.
The officials collect the daily travel stipend, despite charging first-class flights, luxury hotels, transportation and meals to taxpayer-funded credit cards.
“It just proves what she was doing was very selfish,” said Stephanie Wiedeman, a Henyard critic and township trustee. “It wasn’t about the people.”
State Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Homewood) is the incoming supervisor.
He stands to collect a smaller salary of around $50,000, plus add-ons such as an expense allowance of around $12,000.
“What you make is based on what you’re able to deliver,” Harris said. “That’s like people saying professional athletes shouldn’t be making millions or doctors.”
Although there’s new leadership coming to the Thornton Township and Dolton, Weideman said taxpayers should continue keeping tabs on their governments.
“With what we’ve been through and how easy it was to abuse the system, I think it’s important that residents pay attention and continue to pay attention and hold people accountable,” she said.
