Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard is facing eviction from a home she rents with a Thornton Township employee, where the homeowner says they owe more than $3,000 in missed payments, court documents show.
A court filing in Cook County Circuit Court in September by the landlord of the home in the 14600 block of Harvard Street indicates Henyard owes $3,350 in back rent and late fees.
Court filings indicate that Henyard and Kamal Woods have been paying rent on a monthly basis since their lease expired at the end of May 2023.
Henyard faces at least one challenger in next year’s mayoral election, where she will seek a second term as mayor, and is the subject of a federal investigation in connection with her role as mayor of Dolton and as a Thornton Township supervisor.
Subpoenas seeking records related to Henard were also served on Thornton Township High School District 205.
Woods works for the township as a supervisor for the Youth Assistance Program, and a new subpoena has been served in the township seeking records related to state grant money received for the program.
A September landlord filing indicates that Henyard and Woods has denied requests to inspect the Harvard Street property, and that the landlord is terminating the lease for non-renewal by the tenants as well as non-payment of rent.
A notice to terminate the lease was sent on September 18 to Henyard and Woods, with the landlord stating that they had five days to comply regarding late rent payments and come to terms on a new lease.
If not, the landlord will begin legal proceedings to recover the rent as well as possession of the home, according to the filing.
Reached by phone and email Monday, the owner declined to comment.
Bo Brindley, a Chicago attorney who represents Henyard in other matters, said the landlord’s complaint “was not made in good faith” and that “no evidence can be presented that payment was not made because no payment was ever made.”
The lawyer said the lawsuit was “filed based on bad motives and will not stand up to scrutiny.”
As mayor of Dolton, Henyard is supposed to earn a salary of $46,000, and she also earns $224,000 annually as a Thornton Township supervisor.
A W-2 statement provided by Dolton shows that last year, Henyard received wages of just under $62,000 from the village.
According to records obtained by the Chicago Tribune and Daily Southtown, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity received a federal subpoena in August for all records related to the town of Thornton and “Project B Youth Violence Prevention.”
Thornton Township has received $7.1 million in grant money since 2020, and Plan B Youth Violence Prevention was among the programs funded last year with a $500,000 grant for “violence prevention, community development and operational expenses,” a state DCEO spokesperson said in a statement. and administrative costs.” The address provided for the program, on Sibley Boulevard in Dolton, appears in Cook County records as a car wash business.
Chris Gonzalez, a township trustee, said he believes the youth program was created to provide college scholarships and job training for young people. The person running the program, Woods, makes a six-figure salary, he said.
Public records do not show Henyard living at the Harvard Street address, but rather at a home in the 14600 block of State Street.
Records show tax bills for the house are sent to Henyard at that address. The first installment of property taxes due this year, about $1,600, has been paid, but the second installment, due Aug. 1, is delinquent, with the amount owed just under $3,600.
Originally Posted: September 30, 2024 at 2:25 p.m
