EVERY VILLAGE HAS AN IDIOT

There was once a popular say “That it takes a Village.”  But I like to say, “Every Village has an Idiot,” and to prove it, you have to look no further than the Village of Dolton, Illinois. For the past few weeks, I have been following the ongoing turmoil between the village administration and the elected Mayor. Believe me when I tell you that Hollywood could not come close to coming up with something like what is going on there.

I am not really sure how the local or state government functions in Illinois. From what I have been following there is a place just south of Chicago call Thornton Township which has its own form of government.

Within this township there are a number of small villages that also have an elected governing body that is responsible for the administration of the Village. Things like business licenses, utilities, and even police protection within the Village fall und the Village Administration.

The Village of Dolton is one of the Villages within Thornton Township.

Now, the village administration is made up of a group of elected trustees (kind of like town councilmen) and an elected mayor.  There is also a Village Administrator appointed by the Mayor that is responsible for the day to day operation of the village, including paying bill that have been approved by the Trustees. 

There is also a Village Attorney that is responsible for advising the mayor and trustee on all legal issues that the village faces.

The Mayor of Village of Dolton is a person named Tiffany A. Henyard, the self-proclaimed “Super Mayor.”  The “Super Mayor” is also a supervisor in Thornton Township. So, in effect she is double dipping and gets a salary from both the Township and the Village.

Over the past several months, the “Super Mayor” has taken over every aspect of the Village Administration.  She has round the clock police detail that chauffeurs her around and surrounds her everywhere she goes.

She has taken over the administration of the Village finances and cut out the trustees. She evidently reviews all license applications and if she likes the person their application is approved. But if she doesn’t like you, she stalls the application or flat out denies it.

Now, the way that I understand it, for the village to pay its bills, the invoice has to be approved by the trustees and then the treasurer and the village administrator will issue and sign the check. It takes two signatures.

When I first started following the crap show back last October, there was an ongoing feud between the trustees and the mayor over checks that had been issued without proper authorization. Sever of the checks seem to include overtime for the police officers that provide round the clock protection for the “Super Mayor.” One officer racked up a whooping amount of over $13,000 in overtime in just one month.

There were checks issued to cover the cost of the “Super Mayors” trip to Las Vegas along with two of her allies on the board of Trustees. This also included a number of Police officers who accompanied the “Super Mayor” on the trip.  There were a few other people including village employees and assistants to the mayor on this trip.

A few weeks back, one to the assistants who accompanied the Dolton Delegation to Las Vegas, filed a complaint or Lawsuit claiming that she was sexually assaulted by one of the Trustees and had reported the assault to the “Super Mayor,” who attempted to cover it up and eventually fired the person who was making the allegation.

Over the past few months, the feud between the Trustees and the “Super Mayor” has intensified, making it almost impossible for the Village of Dolton to conduct any business.  This was evident back in Late February or Early March when the leasing company who provided the police vehicles for the Village threatened to repossess the police cars because they hadn’t been paid since October.

For several months, the Trustee have been attempting to obtain financial records relating to the village. Record that they are fully entitled to. However, the “Super Mayor” and her handpicked Village administrator have refused to produce any records. According to some of the Trustees, the village is more than $7 Million in debt. The majority encountered by the uncontrolled spending of the “Super Mayor.”

This resulted in the Trustee requesting a special council to name to conduct a full and impartial investigation. The person chosen was the former mayor of Chicago Lori “Beetle Juice” Lightfoot. Come on now, really?

A week or so after “Beetle Juice” was appointed, it was announced that the Illinois Attorney General’s Office had opened an investigation into the sexual assault allegation that took place in Las Vegas.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, it was announced that the Federal Government was opening an investigation into what was going on in the Village of Dolton. Shortly thereafter the Village Administrator a man by the name of Keith Freeman was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of Bankruptcy fraud. Freeman is a close friend and ally of the “Super Mayor.”

Then last week, federal agents showed up at the Dolton Village Hall with search warrants for “Court authorized records” from the Village offices including the office of the “Super Mayor.” Many people including a couple of the village trustees think (or hope) that the first domino to fall was the indictment of Keith Freeman. They are hoping that his indictment will be followed closely by indictments for the “Super Mayor” and her associates.

And finally, just a couple of days ago, the Village Attorney, resigned. It appears that he hasn’t been paid either. Every Village does have an idiot and the Village of Dolton, Illinois has more than their share.