Tiffany Henyard Declares Victory In Dolton Democratic Mayoral Primary
DOLTON, Ill. (CBS) -- Village Trustee Tiffany Henyard declared victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary for mayor in south suburban Dolton.
In a victory speech Tuesday night that was streamed on Facebook Live, Henyard held her young daughter, whom she said she wanted to see grow up "with a safe backyard; with a safe neighborhood where she can go and play around on her bike; not have to worry about it."
"Change has come to Dolton. Today, you have voted to end corruption. Today, you have voted for a fresh representative. Today, you have voted for accountability. Today, you have voted for transparency. Today, you have voted to improve the police department. Today, you have voted for better stewards over our tax dollars. Today, you have voted for honesty and integrity, and today, you have voted for inclusion, and no exclusion," she said in the speech.
The Cook County Clerk's office reported that with all precincts reporting, Henyard had about 34 percent of the vote, compared with 30 percent for incumbent Mayor Riley Rogers, 29 percent for village trustee and community activist Andrew Holmes, and 6 percent for Robert Shaw, a former Chicago alderman and twin brother of late former Dolton Mayor William Shaw.
Henyard has been the subject of some past controversy. Last month, she gave away gas for free at a Food 4 Less in Dolton in what was billed as kicking off her mayoral campaign. Some legal experts told CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov at the time that if the gas giveaway didn't cross the legal line, it definitely stood right on it.
A spokesperson for Henyard said at the time that the gas giveaway was not an attempt to buy votes.
Henyard also gave away gas in November. She also has been the subject of a past CBS 2 investigation, after one of her former tenants accused the village trustee of failing to remedy a massive mold problem in a Section 8 house she owns – which raised even more concerns about the house's inspection history.
Henyard referred questions to her attorney about that issue back at the time.
She will face independent Ronald Burge in the general election on April 6.
