Crude language and violence aren’t just for the U.S. Congress anymore. Local municipalities are starting to follow their lead, but even the scoundrels in Washington might blush at the ruckus that interrupted an Illinois township meeting.
At the center of it all was Dolton Village Mayor Tiffany Henyard, aka the “Dolton Dictator.” Tuesday night’s brawl came during a tense discussion over the alleged mismanagement of the township’s at-risk youth program by Henyard’s boyfriend, Kamal Woods, and another man, William Moore.
Council members appointed a forensic auditor to track how grant money and township funds were being spent. Woods and Moore were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd.
Activist Jedediah Brown added to the tension during public comment when he called Henyard a “half a–ed mayor” and accused her of “sleeping her way to the top.”
“You gone, b-tch!” he concluded.
As Brown walked away from the microphone, Woods charged him, igniting the brawl.
Henyard wasn’t going to let her man fight alone. She is seen on video shoving a table aside and running toward the fracas.
“Tiffany’s in there!” some shocked onlookers can be heard yelling as the brawl intensified.
Witnesses say Henyard threw herself into the middle of the pile as punches were being thrown. She lost a shoe and, according to some, her wig.
“I have never seen a politician jump in and fight like that – it was scary and horrible- It is an embarrassment,” eyewitness Meghan Dudek told NBC Chicago.
It was unclear whether the outgoing mayor — who recently lost the Democratic nomination for Thornton Township supervisor but vowed to fight for her job, claiming she was defeated by “voter suppression” — was trying to break up the fight or prolong it.
“It was one thing when the guys were fighting, but when she jumped in it, I was taken aback. I was floored,” resident Alicia Nichole added in an interview with ABC7.
Another resident, Gerald Williams, told the NBC affiliate the mayor had no business getting involved.
“It should have never come to blows,” he said.
Police eventually broke up the fight. No charges were filed.
Henyard said her boyfriend’s punishment was intended as political retaliation against her. She’s threatened legal action.
It was only a few days ago that Henyard was found in contempt of court for allegedly stonewalling liquor licenses for months.
The owners of St. Patrick’s, a local restaurant, said the mayor had repeatedly promised to sign the liquor licenses, which had already been approved by the village board of trustees.
She finally signed the licenses last week in court — under the threat of contempt. Henyard showed up 30 minutes late to the court appearance.
Henyard previously faced accusations she used $7 million in township funds for a trip to Vegas, self-promotional billboards and DJs for government meetings.
