(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) The Board of Trustees in Dolton, Ill., hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate their own mayor following serious allegations of corruption, the New York Post reported.
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard has been accused of misusing taxpayer funds and of retaliating against a business owner who refused to donate to her election campaign.
Lightfoot, who will pocket $400 an hour for her services, faced a litany of similar allegations regarding her impropriety and abuse of power while mayor. That included an alleged effort to ask teachers in city schools to offer extra credit to students who volunteeredwith her failed reelection campaign.
“As someone who has made good governance the cornerstone of my career in public service, I recognize that maintaining the trust of those you serve and making decisions in their best interests is essential,” Lightfoot said in a statement on Monday.
The village trustees have accused Henyard of excessive spending that resulted in Dolton having a deficit of over $5 million.
They also want Lightfoot to investigate a trip to Las Vegas that Henyard claimed was for economic development. The board reported that there was a total failure to report anything related to economic development that occurred during the trip.
In addition to the Las Vegas incident, Henyard allegedly misspent COVID-19 funds, hired contractors without proper bids and overpaid vendors without board approval.
Lightfoot attempted to assure the people of Dolton that hiring her would bring about a positive change to the city’s spending habits.
“The residents of Dolton deserve nothing less than a government that is fully accountable, responsive, transparent, and effective stewards of taxpayer dollars,” she said.
“… Anybody who knows me knows I don’t intimidate easily,” she added. “I will block out the noise, I will follow the facts where they lead me.”
The FBI previously announced that it was investigating Heynard for allegedly retaliating against Lawrence Gardner, owner of a U-Haul rental company, who said city officials had refused to renew his business license and that his business has been raided by Dolton police as a result of his refusal to donate to a civic event.
After getting elected as mayor of Chicago in 2019, Lightfoot failed to qualify for the runoff in 2023 and became the first incumbent mayor not to be reelected in that city since 1983.
