DOLTON, IL — Newly ousted “super mayor” Tiffany Henyard still has holdout supporters insisting she “ain’t the worst”– but others in the Chicago suburb fed up with her endless antics are happy to see the “clown show” hit the road after her landslide election loss.
“I didn’t say she made no mistakes, but that doesn’t make her the baddest person in these suburbs,” said an elderly Henyard supporter named Jessie who lives on the so-called “Dalton Dictator’s” Illinois street.
“She ain’t the worst and she wasn’t that bad because she did do some things when she became mayor,” Jessie told The Post on Wednesday — less than 24 hours after Henyard was handily defeated in Dolton’s Democratic primary.
Jessie said she thought if any of the allegations against Henyard were true — including accusations of mismanagement of village funds that sparked a federal probe — the FBI would have locked her up long ago.
“People have their own opinions. I’ve got mine, they got theirs. That’s the way I see it,” Jessie argued.
Henyard, 41, went down hard in her bid for re-election on Tuesday, earning just 12% of the vote to the 88% village Trustee Jason House won to take the Democratic nomination for mayor.
The self-proclaimed “super mayor” — famous for her outlandish outfits, choreographed routines, rap videos, and open brawling during town meetings — conceded her loss despite predicting a runaway win
Henyard has until May to leave office when her term ends.
And her exit can’t come soon enough for Dolton residents who feel they’ve been made fools of on the national stage.
“I was just relieved,” said 56-year-old Sherry Britton. “Now we can rebuild from the ashes. She doesn’t represent Dolton. We want to change the narrative because around the world, around the country, we are looked at as buffoons because she’s the representative.”
“She’s a clown. She is just always a clown show. Dancing, singing, rapping, who does that?” Britton added. “When the town around you was falling apart, who does that? It’s unreal. This is my real life as a resident.”
Even on her own block which was lined with pro-Henyard election signs, neighbors wanted little to do with her — and most said they didn’t even plant the signs in their grass.
“She just came up the block and stuck it in everyone’s yard,” said Laterra James, 45. “I didn’t vote for her.”
“I don’t think nobody bothered to take ’em out but I don’t think nobody voted for her either. They just left them there. I didn’t vote for her,” James added while taking the sign down.
Another neighbor, who declined to be named, said he came back from work one day and the sign was in his yard.
“I don’t want no trouble with her,” he said, explaining that he decided to leave it in the grass. “I’ve known Tiffany since she was a little girl. So I’m not going to get into politics.”
Henyard was elected in 2021, and has characterized the litany of sordid allegations that have dogged her tenure as fake news and smear campaigns.
Some accusations include claims that she used the local police as personal bodyguards and political enforcers — which allegedly cost over $1 million in department overtime — and blew village cash on lavish vacations while public coffers wracked up millions in debt.
Still, some of Dolton’s 20,000 residents think that’s just politics.
“I know Tiffany. All politicians do wrong things. It’s not just Tiffany. All them politicians steal. All ’em do it. It’s a racket,” said one neighbor who declined to be named as he tossed a Henyard sign in the trash.
“Not like I support people stealing city money. But they all do it.”
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