The first female mayor of a tiny Illinois village has been slammed for ‘living like a royal’ at taxpayer expense by taking a $300,000 salary and racking up huge expenses.
Glamorous Tiffany Henyard was elected leader of Dolton, a village of 20,000, in 2021, but has since come under fire for what many see as her excessive spending.
She regularly engages the services of a professional hair and makeup team and stylist before public appearances and photo shoots for the county’s taxpayer funded billboards, which often feature the 40-year-old in what have some see as shameless self-promotion.
Henyard is always snapped in tasteful, expensive looking outfits. She has posted photos of herself getting out of chauffeur driven SUVS, with one Instagram post even appearing to show her with a dog laden with jewelry.
Henyard, who often refers to herself as ‘God’s favorite’, has now sparked further outrage by proposing a new law that would cap the next mayor’s salary at $25,000, unless she remains in the role, Fox 32 reports.
Many believe the proposal, which has been branded ‘illegal’ is an attempt to dissuade anyone from running against her in the 2025 race. Now trustees in her town have filed a lawsuit against her alleging forgery and claiming she withheld financial records.
Tiffany Henyard, the first female mayor of Dalton, Illinois, has been slammed for ‘living like a royal’ with extravagant spending. She earns $300,000-a-year but is seeking to lower her successor’s salary to $25,000 in what critics claim is a bit to dissuade anyone from running against her
Henyard is pictured stepping out of a chauffeured SUV in one of her stylish outfits. She’s been blasted for spending taxpayer cash on security, as well as professional hair and makeup artists
In one photo posted to Instagram, Henyard even appeared to pose with a dog laden with jewelry
The scandal is just the latest to hit the beleaguered mayor, after she was slammed for hiring her former campaign worker as the town’s code enforcement officer despite the fact he is a convicted child rapist.
She also raised eyebrows after spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars of security details, including one for an event with senior citizens and another occasion where she pulled cops off the street to perform a protection outfit.
Among other expenses was a trip to Las Vegas where she racked up a $3,000 airfare apparently to attend a conference.
Questions have emerged over how she funds her apparently lavish lifestyle, especially since she has repeatedly swerved questions and dismissed criticism by branding trustees for the township as ‘haters’ in TikTok videos.
Dolton trustees say she has not explained the need for her eye-watering security budget. They also claim she issued checks without proper authorization.
‘I see no justification whatsoever. And more than that it’s really a detriment to the citizens of Dolton,’ trustee Jason House told Fox 32.
‘If we were to take the same money and put it on officers patrolling the streets, then the residents will see a much better presence and public safety will be better.’
Heynard, a Democrat, was sworn in as mayor in May, becoming the first woman and the youngest person to occupy that post in Dolton’s 128-year history.
Henyard uses professional stylists as well and hair and makeup teams prior to events but is not forthcoming about how they are funded
Tiffany Heynard, the first female and youngest mayor of Dolton, Illinois, is under fire for hiring her former campaign worker Lavelle Redmond (pictured together, left) as a code enforcement officer. The 46-year-old is a registered child sex offender
After a recall bid failed, Henyard posted this defiant image on Instagram declaring she ‘forever will be Dolton’s mayor’
A year after her election, Dolton residents triggered a recall process largely due to her hiring of convicted sex offender Lavelle Redmond into a role that would require him to enter people’s homes.
According to reporting at the time, the then-16-year-old Redmond and three others kidnapped and sexually assaulted two girls, ages 13 and 14.
At age 17, Redmond was sentenced to 50 years in prison but was paroled in 2016 and required to register as a sex offender. At the time Henyard defended the move, stating that convicts who have served time deserve a second chance.
However, the recall failed on a technicality and Henyard remained in post, turning up to the next board meeting blasting a disco song and dancing on the podium.
Following the verdict, she also posted a defiant picture on Instagram proclaiming herself the ‘People’s Mayor’ with the caption, ‘I am and forever will be Dolton’s Mayor.’
The post is one of hundreds on the politicians profile that feature glamorous headshots of her promoting various town events and holidays.
She also features heavily on professional stylist Brandon K Momom’s account, sporting various ensembles handpicked for her public appearances.
Visitors to Henyard’s website are greeted by a huge selfie and encouraged to offer donations.
Her antics have earned comparisons to the show Parks and Recreation, a comedy which pokes fun at local government employees.
DailyMail.com has contacted Henyard for comment.