Latest news with #Henyard
Chicago Tribune
23-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Thornton Township officials ask for time to manage finances as residents question supervisor's salary
Thornton Township trustees asked Tuesday for patience as residents expressed frustrations about the continuation of high salary and budget increases. The first budgets taken on by Supervisor Napoleon Harris passed unanimously but faced questions from some in the nearly full audience. People who criticized former Supervisor Tiffany Henyard expressed frustration that Harris was carrying on of the former supervisor's $202,000 salary. 'My comment is to you, Supervisor Harris, what motivated you to seek the supervisor position of Thornton Township?' asked Jennifer Robertz during the public comment period. 'Was it solely for the six-figure compensation, or did you feel the sense of entitlement to become the most powerful figure in the Southland?' Former township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard's salary, exceeding $200,000, was a rallying point among her opponents. The slate of candidates led by Harris promised increased transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility for township residents. While township ordinance called for Henyard's successor to make $54,000, a bill out of the Illinois General Assembly, where Harris is a senator, allowed him to continue to make over $200,000 as supervisor. Harris also earns a more than $103,000 salary as state senator, according to the state. Harris did not address the public regarding his continuation of Henyard's salary but said he is 'going to stick to the business.' 'Sometimes, as we take office, people often wonder why we do it,' Harris said in his report. 'Because, genuinely, people care. That are not enough people that care enough to do it.' Harris later told the Daily Southtown he did not push forward the bill that allowed him to earn the same salary as Henyard, but said he supported it, as he believed it unfair for elected officials to be able lower the salary for these successors. 'This bill basically said that someone, your predecessor, can't make the office less desirable just so they can remain in office,' Harris said. Harris and several trustees requested residents' patience as they worked to create positive change in the township, as many meeting attendees complained about a bloated budget compared to years before. Members of the new administration said the budget looked different due to their renewed interest in providing services that improve upon residents' lives. 'I only ask that you give us a chance,' said Trustee Mary Avent, a former anti-Henyard activist. 'We've been here 63 days. I only ask that you give us a chance to do what you elected us to do.'
Chicago Tribune
18-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: As Thornton Township supervisor, Napoleon Harris III is getting paid like he's Tiffany Henyard
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Tiffany Henyard's messy run as Dolton mayor and Thornton Township supervisor thankfully is at an end. So you would be forgiven for thinking that outlandish policies like the $200,000-plus salary she was paid as township head would have departed with her. Alas, life in this ethics-challenged corner of the south suburbs never seems that simple. It turns out Napoleon Harris III, state senator for the district including Dolton and now Henyard's successor as Thornton Township supervisor after he helped prevent her from running for reelection as Democratic nominee, is making $202,000 in his township role, a fact made public thanks to an investigative report by WGN-TV's Ben Bradley. Bradley reported that, between Harris' township pay (plus expenses) and his state Senate compensation, Harris is set to collect nearly $380,000 annually. All courtesy of taxpayers. That wildly inflated salary — supervisors of Illinois townships in Thornton's size range typically earn no more than $50,000 a year and most less than that — is a relic of the long tenure of south suburban power broker Frank Zuccarelli, Thornton supervisor from 1993 until his death in 2022. Henyard inherited Zuccarelli's $200,000-plus salary when she was appointed to the post following his death, and the exorbitant pay became a central part of the narrative around her scandalous term, which also featured liberal use of taxpayer-funded credit cards for expensive hotels and restaurants during business travel. When Bradley recently confronted Harris about the salary, Harris said the matter was settled by state law. He said he had nothing to do with the 2024 statute that prevented Thornton Township from lowering it. But the pertinent provisions in that law — a broader measure originally aimed at setting aside a week to recognize victims of Crohn's disease, but which morphed into a vehicle for expanding voting access — were identical to language in a separate bill Harris had introduced earlier in 2024. The amendment tying the hands of Thornton Township taxpayers was offered by Senate President Don Harmon. Harris is a member of Democratic leadership in the state Senate. The assertion that he had nothing to do with his self-serving bill's insertion into an unrelated measure — all while it was becoming clear that Henyard was highly unlikely to win reelection in 2025 either as Dolton mayor or as Thornton Township supervisor — simply is extremely hard to believe. Whatever the story behind Harris' inability to reverse this Henyardian excess that now is conveniently enriching him, there's no excuse for failing to take action now and lower the supervisor's salary to a reasonable level. Harmon, who himself is under fire for questionable political fundraising practices, ought to make it a priority in the upcoming legislative veto session in October to repeal that provision and prevent Harris from continuing to defend his outlandish salary as something out of his control.
The Hill
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
How Tiffany Henyard's successor at Thornton Township maneuvered to keep earning six-figure salary
THORNTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. (WGN) — As supervisor of Thornton Township, Tiffany Henyard was paid an annual salary of more than $200,000, plus stipends for expenses, travel and more. But according to the township's most recent salary ordinance, her successor was to be paid at a much lower rate: $57,000 a year for the first term. So, why is Napoleon Harris earning the same salary as Henyard? WGN Investigates found Harris' other taxpayer-funded position helped quietly pave the way for him to protect the payment perk. 'What you make is based on what you're able to deliver,' Harris told WGN Investigates back in April. 'That's like people saying professional athletes shouldn't be making millions or doctors.' Harris has been a Democratic state senator since 2013. He defeated Henyard this year to take over as the township's new supervisor, his second taxpayer-funded position. In 2024, Henyard was paid a total of $282,812 by the township. That included an annual salary of $202,950, in addition to allowances for a telephone, vehicle and $59,400 for 'expenses.' Under the ordinance, Henyard collected that amount because she took over for Frank Zuccarelli in the middle of his term. Zuccarelli had been supervisor since the early 1990s. But after she was defeated, the pay was to be significantly lowered. The township's salary ordinance set the salary for first term supervisors at $57,000 a year. But WGN Investigates found that Harris — even before he won the township office — introduced legislation in the Illinois General Assembly to protect the payment perk. His bill didn't pass. But we found legislation with the same language was later advanced and passed by a different Democratic legislator. It was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker last year. Thanks to the legislative maneuver, Harris stands to collect the same benefits as Henyard. That's in addition to $123,971 he is to be paid as a state senator. 'This is the professional democratic machine, tried and tested and it appears they've taken hold of Thornton Township,' Paul Robertz, a resident of Thornton Township, told WGN Investigates.
New York Post
20-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Ousted Dem ‘super mayor' charges whopping price tag for tell-all book while dodging legal troubles
The embattled former Chicago suburb 'super mayor' has announced her latest business venture as her legal woes continue to pile up following a tumultuous time in office. Tiffany Henyard, the former Democratic mayor of Dolton, has announced she is peddling a 'tell-all' autobiography, titled 'Standing on Business.' In a Facebook post, the disgraced politician vowed 'the real story is coming' while sharing a link to pre-order the book – which boasts a price tag of $99 and is reportedly the first of a three-part series – from a self-publishing website. 'From mommy moves to making history, [Henyard] is not just showing up,' she wrote. 'She's standing on business.' However, the former mayor's constituents appeared less than pleased, taking their opinions online to voice their skepticism of Henyard's latest business venture. 'Still trying to hustle money!' one commenter said in the Dolton Politics Facebook Page. 'Michelle Obama's bestseller was cheaper than this mess,' another poster wrote. 'The unmitigated gal!' Henyard's attorneys did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Henyard's announcement comes as she faces several legal woes stemming from her time as Dolton mayor and Thornton Township supervisor after her reelection bid proved unsuccessful. 3 Former Dolton mayor Tiffany Henyard announced on Facebook that she is writing an autobiography titled, 'Standing on Business.' FOX News Earlier this month, Henyard pleaded the Fifth in a court hearing over a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from her time at the helm. 'The smear campaign against Tiffany Henyard, which began while she was in office, continues even now that she is out of office,' her attorney, Beau Bridley, previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Henyard was previously held in contempt of court after she failed to hand over public documents related to the lawsuit. 3 Henyard received controversy on social media from her former constituents amid her ongoing legal issues. FOX News Her attorney subsequently acknowledged the former mayor does not have the requested documents, with an Illinois judge ruling Henyard's legal team can submit an affidavit in its place. 'The mayor has no document that the plaintiff seeks,' Bridley said. 'This matter is going to be resolved with a simple affidavit. The whole hearing was much ado about nothing.' 3 The Dolton Politics Facebook page received comments such as one saying, 'Still trying to hustle money!' with another commenter replying, 'The unmitigated gal!' FOX News The lawsuit was initially filed by the Edgar County Watchdogs Inc. in response to the organization suing Henyard and the Village of Dolton for failing to produce financial records after the documents were requested under federal FOIA laws. 'We had little doubt Ms. Henyard would use losing the election as an excuse not to produce the documents,' Edward 'Coach' Weinhaus, attorney for Edgar County Watchdogs, previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'Invoking the Fifth Amendment for a criminal investigation was an added wrinkle. The Watchdogs will keep looking for the documents even if the voters might have inadvertently thrown out the documents with the mayor.' Henyard initially made national headlines in April 2024 after officials in her administration were served with subpoenas from the FBI in response to an alleged corruption investigation, FOX 32 Chicago reported. Henyard, however, was never charged. In response to the FBI's investigation, village trustees voted to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightful to investigate Henyard's spending during her time as mayor, with the meeting spiraling into chaos as Henyard's supporters clashed with her opponents. The financial probe reportedly revealed the village's bank account fell from its initial $5.6 million balance to a $3.6 million deficit. Earlier this year, Henyard subsequently lost the city's mayoral primary to Jason House, who was sworn into office in May. On the same day of her election loss, federal authorities slapped the Village of Dolton with a subpoena demanding records tied to a land development project allegedly tied to Henyard's boyfriend. Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Plaintiff in FOIA lawsuit won't accept former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard's affidavit
An attorney for former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard agreed Wednesday to amend an affidavit Henyard filed stating she does not possess documents sought through the Freedom of Information Act after the organization suing her claimed it did not meet state standards. Henyard's attorney, Beau Brindley, reached the agreement ahead of Wednesday's hearing held via Zoom after Cook County Judge Kate Moreland said Henyard would be fined $1,000 for each day she failed to either produce documents requested by the nonprofit Edgar County Watchdogs, or submit an affidavit explaining she didn't possess them. Despite being filed Tuesday, the affidavit is 'deficient … and must be disregarded,' attorneys for the Edgar County Watchdogs said in a response filed Wednesday. They said the affidavit does not include a certificate that it was made under penalty of perjury and that it lacks both specificity and credibility. Brindley said he had already begun amending the affidavit to meet the requirements and would work with the Edgar County Watchdogs' attorneys to ensure both sides were satisfied before filing the amended document. 'We can try to fix this thing so we can get it resolved, which is in everybody's best interest,' Brindley said. Edward 'Coach' Winehaus, one of the attorneys representing the Edgar County Watchdogs, told the Daily Southtown via email that he believes Moreland's fines will remain in effect until the amended affidavit is filed. That would mean that, as of Tuesday when the first affidavit was filed, Henyard would owe $8,000 in fines. Henyard was held in contempt of court last month 'for her repeated and flagrant violations of the court's orders' in the lawsuit the Edgar County Watchdogs filed against Dolton for FOIA violations during Henyard's tenure as mayor, according to an order Moreland filed Monday. At a hearing Friday at the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago, Brindley told Moreland Henyard no longer had the documents. The affidavit filed Tuesday explained the steps Henyard took to look for the requested record, a document Henyard held up at a January public meeting as proof that trustees canceled a credit card. According to the affidavit, Henyard does not recall the document the organization requested or where it came from. She said she did not take any village documents with her when she left office and the document in question would remain in the possession of the village. 'After becoming aware of the requested documents, I searched all of my personal documents to ensure I had nothing related to the January meeting,' Henyard said in the affidavit. She said she also searched her email with terms related to the January meeting, such as 'credit card' and 'cancelled credit card,' without success, and sent emails to Mayor Jason House and Village Administrator Charles Walls requesting they locate the document. She said neither House nor Walls responded. 'I have no other mechanisms through which to seek a single document, the content of which I simply do not recall,' Henyard said in the affidavit. The Edgar County Watchdogs' attorneys said the affidavit failed to include steps taken to comply with the FOIA while Henyard was mayor, as was the case when they filed the lawsuit. 'If the 'search' was performed only recently, then the steps she performed when in office — such as potentially destroying the documents — would be available for testimony and therefore must be included in the affidavit if she hopes to purge the court's contempt order,' the response said. Edgar County Watchdogs filed its lawsuit in February 2024, a month after failing to receive those records along with copies of all credit card statements since Oct. 1, 2023. Dolton, which since last month has been under House's leadership, complied in providing the credit card statements but said they lacked the document Henyard held up at the January meeting. The Edgar County Watchdogs claim in the lawsuit the only response to their Jan. 5 FOIA requests came from Village Clerk Alison Key, informing them the village administrator at the time, Keith Freeman, instructed staff not to reply to requests that she entered. Henyard's tenure as mayor, which ended last month, showed a pattern of ignored or denied public records requests. ostevens@
