‘Delusional’ Mayor Tiffany Henyard dubbed ‘the worst in America’ launches re-election campaign: ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’

Tiffany Henyard, the scandal-plagued mayor of Dolton, Illinois, announced she is running for re-election as shocked critics reacted to the news.

Henyard made the announcement Tuesday on social media as she battles accusations of wildly spending city money and a federal criminal investigation into her and her allies.

The 41-year-old will run in the February Democratic primary against Dolton trustee Jason House, who is campaigning alongside the incumbent trustees as part of what they call the ‘Clean House’ slate.

Fellow trustee Kiana Belcher, who has been running against House since his announcement in July, called Henyard’s re-election bid “ridiculous.”

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, who has been the subject of controversy and scandal since taking office in May 2021, has announced her candidacy for re-election

People reacted quickly to Henyard’s announcement on social media

“The community does not want to continue under his leadership,” Belcher told the New York Post. ‘I’m not shocked because I know her, I’m definitely not shocked.’

‘Whatever happens, she won’t go out without a fight. That’s one thing I can say, she’s a real fighter, so I’m not surprised,” she added.

Current Secretary Alison Key is running on the House-led ticket, as are Belcher, Trustee Brittney Norwood and Edward Steave, a former trustee who lost his bid for re-election last year.

Henyard was cruelly mocked online for seeking re-election following a series of scandals.

“It will be difficult to run for mayor coming out of prison,” wrote one commenter in response to his Facebook post announcing his re-election bid.

‘Surely the people will unite and get rid of you once and for all. If not, they deserve you, unfortunately,” said another.

Others expressed confusion about why Henyard is “not in federal prison” or said she should resign.

One X user put it simply: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Jason House, a Dolton trustee, is challenging Henyard for the mayor’s office

The ‘Clean House’ ticket that challenges Henyard and his list of candidates. From left to right: Kiana Belcher, Brittney Norwood, Jason House, Alison Key and Edward Steave

The list of alleged misdeeds committed by Henyard and her allies has continued to grow since she became mayor in May 2021.

Henyard, who earns a salary of $300,000, charged the Village of Dolton $7,650 for her hair and makeup staff in just two months, listing it as an “assistant” cost.

Other official expenses included $3,000 in plane tickets to Las Vegas, where she reportedly attended a conference.

After this and other questionable expenses came to light, the village board of trustees voted 4-2 to bring in former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate.

Lightfoot presented her sweeping report in August, which revealed a $3.6 million deficit in the city’s budget under Henyard’s leadership.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot revealed a devastating picture of Dolton’s finances. She accused Henyard and his allies of running the village into a multi-million dollar deficit in just two years

A year after taking office, in April 2022, Dolton had a budget surplus of $5.6 million.

Lightfoot said the village spent $7,700 at Target, Walgreens, Wayfair and other retailers on a single day in September 2023.

Lightfoot added that the village was handing out “rampant” overtime payments to police, including two officers who doubled their 2024 salary by collecting overtime worth six figures each.

Shortly before the investigation’s revelations, Dolton trustees banned Henyard from using village credit cards.

She also faces a separate investigation by federal authorities.

WGN 9 previously reported that Henyard, her political committee, her cancer charity, her boyfriend, two of her relatives, four allied trustees, her deputy police chief and even her now-defunct burger business were all named in subpoenas of the FBI.

This is the second time that Henyard has fought for his political life.

Henyard is photographed meeting President Joe Biden at the White House earlier this year

Henyard is pictured at a village council meeting speaking into her infamous golden microphone

A year into her term, the village council – made up of some of the people now running against her – put two recall referendums to a vote.

The recall effort occurred in large part because she hired convicted sex offender Lavelle Redmond as a code enforcement officer, a role that would require him to enter people’s homes.

In August 2022, Redmond was fired allegedly for talking to a reporter at The Chicago Tribune.

The first referendum asked whether recalls should be allowed for mayors, to which 56% of voters said “yes”.

The second, depending on the first passage, asked whether Henyard should be recalled. Once again, 56 percent voted in favor of withdrawing his seat.

Henyard sued in April and a three-judge panel with an appeals court sided with her in a September ruling, arguing that both referendums were improperly crafted.