BCN Ep #22 Dolton special board meeting held, concerns over recent sexual misconduct allegations

BCN Ep #22
Dolton special board meeting held, concerns over recent sexual misconduct allegations

DOLTON, Ill. – Dozens of community members came out Thursday night for a special Board of Trustees meeting in Dolton, days after a regular board meeting was set to be held but was canceled by the mayor.

“We’re trying to create normalcy, even through the challenging times. That is the purpose and call for this meeting,” Senior Trustee Jason House said.

The special board meeting was held again in a Dolton Park District facility. Trustees and sworn clerks said they still have not been granted access keys to Village Hall, despite a resolution passed last month to change that.

Trustees in attendance Thursday did not vote on any items aside from approving meeting minutes. They did, however, discuss several agenda items, including the reportedly dire financial state of the village, and allegations of sexual misconduct involving a trustee, recently reported on by WGN Investigates.

Neither Mayor Tiffany Henyard nor two of her close allies on the board were present at the meeting. Last month, the three were also absent as a resolution calling for an investigation into Henyard and her spending of village funds, was approved.

According to a pair of complaints filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, a Dolton trustee is accused of sexual misconduct with a village employee while on a taxpayer-funded trip to Las Vegas.

The trustee vehemently denied the allegations when he spoke with WGN Investigates.

“The reason that this was put on here is there were terrible allegations that many people are aware of for the Village of Dolton,” said House. “As a board member we also recognize this comes with a lot of potential liability or cost to the residents of Dolton.”