Controversial supermayor Tiffany Henyard defies trustees meeting postponement
Embattled "supermayor" Tiffany Henyard proceeded with a board meeting Tuesday despite its postponement by trustees. (Credit: Fox 32)
Controversial "super mayor" Tiffany Henyard has at least one partisan ally in her dispute with her local Democratic Party over allegations of voter suppression in a recent caucus.
During the Dec. 3 caucus, the Dolton, Illinois, mayor lost the Democratic nomination for Thornton Township supervisor, a position she currently holds. Henyard’s name was not even on the ballot because she did not have a certified assessor on her ticket, a requirement for all nominees.
Over the last two weeks, Henyard has been threatening and attempting legal action against Illinois state Sen. Napolean Harris, the committeeman of the Democratic Party who chose to have a caucus instead of the typical primary election and won the nomination.
Henyard insisted after the caucus that her supporters were locked out of the venue and their "right to vote was hijacked" by Harris.
Tiffany Henyard, the scandal-plagued Democratic mayor of Dolton, is suing Thornton Township's Democratic committee after losing her caucus. (Facebook)
"Hundreds of eligible voters, including seniors, local mayors, local aldermen, local state senators and state representatives were locked out of the venue and forced to stand in freezing temperatures unable to access the voting process in a timely and fair manner," she alleged.
A lawsuit was officially filed on Thursday against Harris and the Democratic Party for the Township of Thornton. It included Dixmoor mayor Fitzgerald Roberts as a co-petitioner after he was allegedly forced to wait outside the venue as well. However, the lawsuit had to be refiled after Roberts requested not to be listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Roberts told WGN that he is willing to testify on Henyard’s behalf but did not feel comfortable as a co-plaintiff. Roberts also attacked Harris, the defendant in the lawsuit, for how the caucus was handled.
"He took us back a long way to a time when people couldn’t vote," Roberts said. "[Henyard] is telling the truth: People couldn’t get in."
Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts agreed people were prevented from supporting Henyard during the caucus. (FOX 32 Chicago)
However, Henyard’s lawyer, Max Solomon, claimed Roberts was made aware of the original filing, but then "somebody got to him."
"He knew he would be a named plaintiff. He knew because I spoke with him twice," Solomon told Fox News Digital.
He added, "We had telephone conferences before filing. We had telephone conferences after the filing. He was supposed to show up for the press conference at 1 p.m. on that Friday. He didn't show up. We believe that's when somebody got to him. I don't know about that, but I personally spoke with him."
EMBATTLED DOLTON MAYOR TIFFANY HENYARD ACCUSED OF 'POLITICALLY TARGETING' TOWN'S OWN PARK DISTRICT
Fox News Digital reached out to Henyard and Roberts for comment.
The lawsuit alleges that Harris held a private event at the caucus location before the vote and prevented Henyard's supporters from entering the facility. Henyard is hoping the caucus will be declared invalid and pave the way for a new one.
Henyard's lawyer filed a new lawsuit after Roberts requested to be taken off as a co-petitioner. (Fox 32)
Though she is not the Democratic nominee, Henyard could still be on the ballot in April for Thornton Township supervisor as a write-in or independent candidate. She is also up for re-election as Dolton mayor next year.
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