Dolton village trustees scheduled a special meeting for next Monday after this week’s meeting dissolved into a walkout by four trustees at odds with Mayor Tiffany Henyard and an order from the village’s police chief to clear the room.
Monday’s meeting started nearly an hour after the scheduled time, and deputy police Chief Lewis Lacey said it was due to threats police received about potential safety issues.
“We do have credible threats in reference to this meeting tonight,” Lacey said, admonishing those in the audience any clapping or outbursts would not be tolerated or the “meeting will be closed.”
A very brief Village Board agenda included a vote by trustees to override a veto by Henyard of a resolution calling for an outside investigation of her.
Trustee Jason House, after public comments, moved to postpone the meeting, citing the need for a larger space to accommodate a crowd and the safety concerns mentioned by Lacey.
“We are not postponing a meeting,” Henyard said. “Let’s handle the business and not have the business handle you guys.”
Clerk Alison Key called for a vote on the trustee’s motion as Henyard repeatedly told her she was out of order because the mayor had not finished talking.
After House and Trustees Kiana Belcher, Tammie Brown and Brittney Norwood voted in favor of postponing the meeting and walked out, and Lacey cleared the room, Henyard accused the trustees of orchestrating a stunt.
“As you just saw, it’s chaos among our four trustees. They didn’t come here to handle business, they came here to do a political theater stunt,” Henyard said.
“Good, bad or indifferent, we work together,” she said.
At the Village Board meeting March 4, Henyard moved to block the Village Board’s request for outside agencies to investigate her for allegedly misusing village funds.
Henyard vetoed a resolution trustees approved Feb. 11, saying it was illegal.
Belcher, Brown, House and Norwood held a special Village Board meeting Feb. 22 at a Dolton Park District facility. Clerk Key also participated.
Their resolution asked agencies such as the FBI, U.S. attorney, Cook County sheriff and Cook County state’s attorney to step in and investigate Henyard.
The board’s resolution alleges Henyard made payments to vendors without Village Board approval, and that she has refused to pay vendor invoices the board approved.
The resolution accuses her of misusing village funds and causing Dolton to be in a multimillion-dollar deficit.
Henyard said the trustees’ February meeting violated the state’s Open Meetings Act because it was held at a location other than Village Hall.
The meeting called for and voted on Monday will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the park district building at 14700 Evers.
