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Keep calm and Dolt-on

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Illinois

* Click here and here for some of our past roundups. WGN…

Soon after outraged residents began filling public meetings demanding answers from self-proclaimed “Super Mayor” Tiffany Henyard, the south suburban politician hit the road for a series of interviews to try to reset the narrative about her spending, leadership style and tumultuous tenure.

Henyard appeared in-studio for an interview with Roland Martin in Washington, DC in late February and then travelled to New York City to be on the “Way Up with Angela Yee” program. […]

Township credit card bills show a photographer named David Dickerson was paid $3,259 plus an additional $561 for Dickerson’s airfare between Chicago, Washington and New York. Dickerson confirmed to WGN Investigates that we hired by Henyard’s team to take photos of during her interviews with Martin and Yee. He doesn’t know what became of his images. […]

Henyard is the supervisor of Thornton Township and mayor of Dolton. It’s unclear who paid for airfare and lodging for Henyard and the rest of her entourage. While the township released credit card records after a Freedom of Information Act request, the village of Dolton has repeatedly failed to do so in apparent violation of open records laws.

* Daily Southtown…

Dolton has few remaining options for recourse after an Illinois Appellate Court affirmed the $33.5 million judgment stemming from a fatal police chase, and an insurance policy that only covers about one-third of the judgment, attorneys said. […]

Dolton is covered at about $10.5 million by insurance, an amount that continues eroding with increasing village legal fees, according to a petition for payment the plaintiffs’ attorneys filed in January.

The petition laid out concerns about the village being able to provide the verdict, including the $23.5 million not covered, which was considered “present and due” even during the appeal’s process because the village never sought a stay on the payment. […]

Under state law, municipalities are “entitled and directed” to pay the judgments owed and may do so by issuing bonds or levying taxes. The plaintiffs’ attorneys are requesting Dolton float a municipal bond to allow their clients to be paid upfront, while the village repays the bond over multiple years at an interest rate lower than what the court judgment is accruing. […]

Dolton has also been penalized for failing to fulfill an agreed settlement of $220,000 in a whistleblower lawsuit from 2019 despite the Village Board approving the payment. After a June 24 hearing, a Cook County court froze double the amount of the settlement in a village account. The attorney for the plaintiff in that case said the check “is just sitting on the mayor’s desk.”

* The money problems don’t end there for Dolton. NBC Chicago…

The company behind new welcome banners in Dolton claim they have not been paid yet as the cash-strapped village’s residents are questioning the new signs.

Donning light poles along a busy Sibley Boulevard, the banners, which reportedly cost $19,000, contain different messages on the back and the front, along with a picture of Mayor Tiffany Henyard with her self-ascribed “Supermayor” title written underneath. […]

Mosca Design, the vendor behind the banners, told NBC Chicago that they have not been paid for the banners and other items and are owed an outstanding balance of over $85,000.

According to Trustee Tammy Brown, the purchase was never approved by Dolton trustees.

* More…

WGN | Burt Odelson says lawsuit brought on by Dolton Mayor’s former attorney is ‘baseless and meritless’:

posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 12:17 pm

Comments

I posted this response earlier today before Dolton had its own post.
—Will any elected officials that have constituents in Dolton please do your due diligence and your elected office job and help the people in Dolton ASAP! It starts with the 2 US Senators, the Governor, the State Senator, the State representative, the County Representative and finally the FBI, State Police and County Police!–
This Village needs help, It is insanity, The other elected officials need to step up and pronto.

Comment by South Side Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 12:46 pm
===The plaintiffs’ attorneys are requesting Dolton float a municipal bond to allow their clients to be paid upfront, while the village repays the bond over multiple years at an interest rate lower than what the court judgment is accruing.===

Who would buy this bond?

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 12:50 pm
===The other elected officials need to step up and pronto===

And do… what? She can’t be fired by Durbin.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:03 pm
Illinois’ new answer to Blago and POTUS 45.

Am curious why the Village of Dolton did not have to post the full amount of the judgment when appealing (by way of an appellate bond to cover the insurance gap)

Comment by Ares Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:15 pm
===And do… what? She can’t be fired by Durbin.===

You are correct, he can’t fire her, but he can bring the resources of the Federal Government, Senate hearing on Municipalities? Congressional Hearings? Get all the Dolton elected officials to testify under oath what they have been doing, so they can get to the truth and punish anyone that lies. Have the Justice Dept. open an investigation on misspent Taxpayer Money, Open an Illinois State Police investigation, an Illinois Attorney General investigation. There are plenty of avenues for Federal and State government to get involved.

Comment by South Side Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:25 pm
=Who would buy this bond?=

It will command a premium interest rate so many will be interested.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:34 pm
This is all hilarious to me. In fact, too hilarious that a parody sitcom would not write something so far-fetched and nonsensical.

Comment by Lurker Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:39 pm
Tip for the filmmakers out there: get to Dolton now and start shooting your interviews and B-roll while this debacle is still ongoing. Trust me, this footage is going to be valuable.

“Supermayor” - A Netflix Original Documentary

Comment by sulla Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:50 pm
The feds are notoriously slooooooow.

She may be voted out of office next year before they act.

It’s in the DNA of federal prosecutors. Why indict today when there might be one more angle to find tomorrow.

Comment by Federal Freddy Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 1:50 pm
Spinoff to Abbott Elementary: Principal Ava Coleman becomes Supermayor Ava Coleman in a small Chicago suburb. Hilarity ensues.

Comment by Formerly Unemployed Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 2:21 pm
South Side, the FBI already launched an investigation: https://capitolfax.com/2024/04/19/ag-raoul-orders-supermayor-tiffany-henyards-charity-to-stop-soliciting-donations-as-tribune-reports-fbi-targeting-henyard/

Comment by MyTwoCents Friday, Jul 12, 24 @ 4:23 pm