Dolton mayor Tiffany Henyard present in contempt of court docket after allegedly stonewalling liquor licenses

Tiffany Henyard, the scandal-plagued mayor of Dolton, Illinois, has reportedly been present in contempt of court docket after allegedly stonewalling liquor licenses for months. 

The house owners of St. Patrick’s, a three-story restaurant and banquet corridor on Lincoln Avenue, sued in August, claiming the mayor had repeatedly promised to signal the liquor licenses, which had been already permitted by the village board of trustees, however didn’t. 

In court docket on Wednesday, Henyard, who additionally serves because the village liquor commissioner, reportedly vowed once more that she’d signal the licenses, however she didn’t earlier than a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline. 

The events had been due to this fact pressured to return to court docket once more Friday, and Henyard arrived a half hour late for the listening to, WGN-TV reported. 

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Tiffany Henyard, the mayor of Dolton, Illinois, had yelled at fellow lawmakers after questions had been raised about spending and transparency. (Fox Information)

Cook dinner County Decide Cecilia Horan held Henyard in oblique felony contempt. Which means the mayor was thought-about “disrespectful to the authority of the court docket,” Adrian Vuckovich, an lawyer for the house owners of St. Patrick’s, informed WMAQ-TV. 

“It’s been a problem to place it mildly. It shouldn’t be so tough. That is an odd occasion to get liquor licenses issued,” Vuckovich informed WGN individually. 

“The choose requested the mayor, ‘Will you signal these licenses?’ and as a substitute of signing them or answering the choose instantly, she started speaking in circles and in order that’s when the choose made one dedication of what’s referred to as oblique felony contempt,” Vuckovich reportedly mentioned, including: “It’s severe. It’s not one thing anyone would wish to occur, particularly for those who’re a public official.” 

Henyard was not taken into custody, however, beneath menace of being held in contempt once more, she signed two of the three liquor licenses, that means St. Patrick’s can lastly open for enterprise. 

Tiffany Henyard, a politician who has been embroiled in quite a few controversies, is seen in one more contentious assembly along with her constituents. (Screencap courtesy of video from Fox32)

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“This could have been over in November,” Tiffany Kamara, one in all St. Patrick’s house owners, informed WMAQ. 

Vuckovich mentioned his consumer is pursuing the third license, in addition to further penalties for the mayor over the hold-up. “We would like her to be fined. We would like her to pay lawyer charges, and we wish damages. She has damage my consumer,” the lawyer reportedly mentioned. “We’re losing cash day-after-day… taxpayers’ cash. This can be a good constructing that folks may very well be utilizing and to not point out the roles.”

Tiffany Henyard, mayor of Dolton, Illinois, has come beneath hearth for her extreme spending. (Fox 32)

Henyard’s lawyer, Max Solomon, reportedly tried to justify the delay. 

“It is vitally necessary for individuals to know that the paperwork signed right this moment had one other entity on there. That was the holdup,” Solomon informed WMAQ. “That was the one factor.” 

Fox Information Digital reached out to Henyard and Solomon for remark however didn’t instantly hear again. 

In the meantime, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who had been employed to analyze Henyard final summer season, has concluded her probe and is predicted to launch her findings Monday night time, FOX 32 Chicago reported. 

Henyard is going through allegations together with that she misused taxpayer {dollars}, overspent on village bank cards and fired an worker who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a village trustee whereas on a piece journey to Las Vegas. 

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The FBI is also reportedly investigating Henyard for alleged corruption in Dolton and Thornton Township, the place she presently serves as supervisor however misplaced the Democratic nomination to carry onto that function final month.