NIMH Ep #775 Attorney general orders Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard to release spending records..

NIMH Ep #775
Attorney general orders Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard to release spending records..

DOLTON, Ill. — Last November, WGN Investigates first reported how a south suburban politician and her allies spent taxpayer money on first class airline tickets, luxury hotels and high-end restaurants.

Tiffany Henyard is the mayor of Dolton and supervisor of Thornton Township. The elected positions pay her more than $280,000 annually, according to interviews and records.

After the story aired, WGN Investigates sent a public records request to Dolton asking for, among other things, copies of additional credit card statements to check if the spending spree continued.

The village did not turn over the records, as required under state law. The records request, sent via email on Nov. 29, also asked for copies of documents showing any payments to Henyard.

WGN Investigates filed an appeal with the Illinois Attorney General.

That agency turned over the records. The statements showed Henyard and other officials spent nearly $67,000 in township funds on trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City in recent months.