The village of Dalton in Illinois has hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate village leader Tiffany Henyard, who has been accused of misappropriating taxpayer funds and various other corrupt practices. Voted in favor of the resolution to hire.
Lightfoot, who lost re-election in a landslide last year, said she was “honored” to be tasked with investigating Henyard, Dalton’s self-proclaimed “super mayor.”
“As someone who has made good governance the cornerstone of my career as a public servant, I will maintain the trust of the people I serve and make decisions with their best interests in mind,” Lightfoot said in a statement Monday night. We recognize that this is essential.”
“Dolton residents deserve nothing less than a government that is fully accountable, responsive, transparent and effectively manages taxpayer funds.”
Lightfoot said her experience leading Chicago will help her provide findings and recommendations “without bias.”
The Dalton Village Board voted to hire Lightfoot Monday night at a private meeting held at park district facilities off-site rather than at Dalton Village Hall.
Ms. Lightfoot will be tasked with providing regular updates to the board of directors on the investigation into Mr. Henyard’s alleged misconduct and extravagant spending, resulting in a comprehensive report.
She will be hired for $400 an hour, according to Fox 32.
Lightfoot was previously an attorney at the influential Chicago law firm of Mayer Brown, Chicago’s first black woman and openly gay federal prosecutor, but lost her bid for a second term last year. Ta.
The vote at Monday night’s special meeting came after four members of the Dalton Board of Trustees proposed hiring Lightfoot as additional legislative counsel to investigate Henyard.
The investigation stems from a series of events surrounding a taxpayer-funded “economic development” trip to Las Vegas in May 2023.
According to the board, upon his return, Henyard “failed to provide the board with any reports regarding potential economic development or other events occurring in Las Vegas.”
The village board says it wants a thorough investigation into the trip, including all expenditures, any allegations of wrongdoing, and an internal investigation.
Henyard also said he misused federal COVID-19 relief funds, hired contractors without seeking proper bids, overpaid vendors without board approval, and the mayor. He also faces allegations that he received large sums of money in campaign funds from vendors chosen by him.
The resolution also states that the board later learned of “serious sexual assault allegations” made by an unnamed former Dalton employee against a board trustee while in Las Vegas, and that Mr. Henyard and others in his administration He also said that members of the group had “made great efforts to cover up and cover up.” Concealing allegations of sexual misconduct and reports of sexual misconduct. ”
“Finding what happened in Las Vegas is extremely important to residents,” Dalton board member Brittney Norwood told the Post.
Henyard voters also complained about the flamboyant mayor’s giant billboards with her face plastered all over town and the “militarization” of local police against political opponents.
The board accused her of concealing personal expenses she paid using village money.
Over the past year, the Henyard administration has refused repeated requests from the board for financial documents, leaving Dalton’s financial situation in the dark.
Last month, Henyard vetoed a resolution unanimously passed by the village board to begin an investigation and called for the village’s financial records.
The FBI also investigated other charges against Henyard, including hundreds of thousands of dollars the village allegedly paid in police overtime for Henyard’s personal security detail and accusations that she held licenses for certain businesses. The government is also reportedly investigating allegations of misuse of taxpayers’ money.
Henyard has repeatedly refused to resign.
