In the village of Dalton, Illinois, Mayor Tiffany Henyard and other officials are facing a challenge: they will no longer be able to freely use villagers’ credit cards after the village council voted Monday to freeze the issuance of city credit cards in the wake of a spending frenzy.
The Village of Dalton’s managerial services director will be allowed to use the village’s credit card only after the village board approves the purchase, council members said, a blow to Henyard’s control over the village, according to the report.
“There are a lot of people in the village who have credit cards and they’re swiping their cards like crazy, so it had to be stopped completely,” said Michael McGrath, an attorney representing Dalton’s trustees. According to WGNTV.
“Thousands of dollars are being spent on Amazon purchases, PayPal, Target, Walgreens, Jewelry, etc.[Osco] “We’re looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars in profits,” he added. The latter is a regional supermarket chain.
Bert Odelson, another lawyer for the trustees, said the main goal was to “cut off access to her and other operators within the municipality,” according to the department’s report.
Henyard is accused of misappropriating taxpayer money for personal expenses, including lavish travel and unnecessary security.
The self-proclaimed “super mayor” is at the center of a federal investigation that began several months ago.
The federal government reportedly requested reams of documents from the village, as well as restaurants and other businesses owned by Henyard.
The controversial leader has angered colleagues and residents, including on Monday night.
“It’s infuriating to see this village being ruined by this woman,” one longtime resident said at the meeting. According to Fox 32.
“We deserve a mayor who really cares about our village, not a mayor who sees it as his playground,” said another resident. From ABC 7 Chicago.
Before the meeting began, attendees who were already seated were forced to stand up again and go through metal detectors that had not initially been activated.
During the meeting, a 4-1 vote led to the elimination of several village jobs, but Henyard, who calls himself Dalton’s “super mayor,” claimed the firings were “political retaliation” by the board. According to the Chicago Tribune.
She said the workers who were allegedly fired “will continue to be employed by the Village of Dalton.”
The board maintained that employment decisions were strictly business-related.
“The village is bleeding,” board member Brittney Norwood said, according to the paper. “If residents knew the truth, they would be furious.”
Henyard and former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was hired to investigate the village, are scheduled to present their findings Thursday.
