Dolton mayor shuts down Lightfoot investigation during village board meeting

Dana Rebik and Gabriel Castillo

2 hours ago

DOLTON, Ill. – A lively meeting was held Monday evening at Village Hall in south suburban Dolton, where residents expressed concerns about an FBI raid and allegations of sexual assault.

Ahead of the meeting, residents gathered to call for action, and among the group was former assistant to Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard Fenia Dukes.

Dukes appeared at Village Hall and thanked community members for their support. Her appearance came just hours after she released a videotaped statement about the alleged sexual assault, which she said took place on a taxpayer-funded trip to Las Vegas a year ago.

Dukes accuses community activist Andrew Holmes, a Dolton trustee and Henyard ally, of attacking her.

Holmes, who has denied the allegations, was not charged and was not present at Monday’s meeting.

Dukes was placed on leave and later fired after coming forward and later filed a civil lawsuit.

At some point during Monday’s meeting, tensions escalated and an altercation broke out between Mayor Henyard and a trustee.

Henyard also criticized former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was hired by the trustees to lead a special investigation into the mayor. Henyard vetoed the appointment during Monday’s meeting.

“You know it’s a veto power. So how dare you think that you can come into someone’s town and start working or doing something even though we said something that it’s illegal, we quoted the code and everything here and they for their services are not paid for,” Henyard said.

It all comes after the FBI served subpoenas in the Village of Dolton and Thornton Township, where Henyard is also the supervisor.

The subpoenas name Henyard, her top aide Keith Freeman, two of her allies on the village board, the deputy police chief and a dozen others seeking expense and employment records.

Critics accuse Mayor Henyard of using taxpayer money to finance trips worth $102,000 last year. Henyard’s cancer charity is also under surveillance.

The FBI is also investigating allegations that Henyard withheld building permits and business licenses from her opponents.

As with previous motions vetoed by Henyard, trustees are expected to try to overrule her with a vote on the Lightfoot issue. The vote would take place at the next village board meeting on May 20.