Residents Locked Out Of Public Meeting In Dolton Under Embattled Mayor

DOLTON, IL — A Dolton village board meeting this week began with the public behind locked doors, unable to attend the proceedings, and ended with trustees walking out in objection amid ongoing turmoil involving embattled Mayor Tiffany Henyard, according to reports.

Residents were at Village Hall early Monday, but the meeting started late after the public was met with a blockaded street guarded by local police and underwent security screening, WLS reported. About 25 people were locked out of the meeting, according to FOX 32 Chicago.

"This is the residents' home, and when you can't come in, it's a problem," trustee Brittany Norwood said, NBC 5 Chicago reported.

Police cited “credible threats” and warned they would close the meeting if there were any outbursts, according to WLS, which reported those who were unable to get in could be heard punching and chanting behind glass doors.

"Our job is to make sure we take care of business and not allow the business to handle us," Henyard said, WLS reported.

Trustees have sought to have the mayor investigated by federal authorities in the wake of unpaid vendors, withheld permits and stonewalling of authorities and residents alike, WLS reported. Henyard in March vetoed trustees’ request for a probe into her actions, according to the outlet.

Four trustees ended Monday’s meeting by walking out on the grounds that there was room for the public and not allowing them entry broke the Illinois Open Meetings Act, FOX 32 reported. The meeting is expected to continue April 8, according to NBC 5.

Monday was not the only time residents have struggled with accessing village officials, FOX 32 reported. New security procedures — which the municipality says are due to threats against Henyard and other employees — require residents to conduct their business at Village Hall with a guard in a cramped vestibule, according to the outlet.

Henyard and an unnamed trustee are also involved in an Illinois Department of Human Rights probe after the mayor’s former assistant said she was sexually assaulted by the trustee on a 2023 economic development trip to Las Vegas and later fired, NBC 5 reported.

The village told the outlet it conducted its own investigation through a third-party company and the matter was “nothing more than a disgruntled village employee.” Trustees are also seeking an independent probe of the trip, according to NBC 5.