Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, ousted in a 2023 election and known mainly for the city’s massive level of crime under her tenure, is back on the political scene, this time as a lawyer hired to investigate Mayor Tiffany Henyard of Dolton, Illinois. Mayor Henyard is accused of serious misconduct, with the town deep in the red even as it paid for obscene expenses of hers like a trip to Las Vegas.
According to ABC7 Chicago, which reported on Lightfoot’s appointment as an investigator, she will need to look into finding what happened to the millions of missing dollars in Dolton, obvious because of its unpaid bills, and into Mayor Henyar’s lavish trip to Las Vegas that Dolton paid for. A few other Dolton employees and trustees went on the trip as well.
Dolton Trustee Jason House, explaining her duties, said, “Lightfoot should investigate “all allegations of misconduct, and all internal investigations, if any, along with any village state and federal law violations.” Lightfoot, for her part, told the Dolton board, “I bring expertise in leading investigations of this kind and understand the complex challenges of governing. I will follow the facts where they lead, without bias, and reserve comments until the work is complete.”
She also issued a statement on her appointment and what she will do, saying, “I am honored that the Village of Dolton Board of Trustees has placed their confidence in me to conduct a thorough and timely independent investigation into the matters outlined in the resolution regarding Mayor Tiffany Henyard and her administration.”
Former Mayor Lightfoot continued, “As someone who has made good governance the cornerstone of my career in public service, I recognize that maintaining the trust of those you serve and making decisions in their best interests is essential. The residents of Dolton deserve nothing less than a government that is fully accountable, responsive, transparent, and effective stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
She then added that she will pursue the investigation “without bias,” saying, “As a lawyer, former federal prosecutor, and mayor, I bring expertise in leading investigations of this kind and understand the complex challenges of governing. I will follow the facts where they lead, without bias, and reserve comments until the work is complete.”
Concluding the statement, former Mayor Lightfoot explained, “At the conclusion of this investigation, I will provide an assessment of the findings and recommendations. I welcome and urge the full cooperation of Mayor Henyard, her staff, Village Trustees, vendors, and others who have information relevant to this inquiry.”
"*" indicates required fields
Lightfoot also said, during the meeting in which the board voted to appoint her at a $400 per hour rate, former Mayor Lightfoot said, “It is my sincere hope that Mayor Henyard will voluntarily cooperate, but should they not, we are prepared to do what is necessary to get to the facts.” That hope of voluntary cooperation is important because Heynard can veto the board’s vote for an investigation.
Watch Mayor Lightfoot at the meeting here, in local channel Fox 32’s report on it: