After Tiffany Henyard was elected to office in 2021, Nicole Scott was hopeful and excited to work with the new Dolton mayor to expand her food pantry to provide an array of supports for local residents.
“The idea was to bring a myriad of services for the community, like make it a community hub,” Scott said.
Four years later, Scott says she has not been able to expand Free-N-Deed Market due to pushback from Henyard, and on Sunday she hosted the campaign kickoff for those hoping to oust her in the food pantry’s parking lot.
“I just want people in office that are going to help with serving the community,” Scott said.
About 70 people came to Scott’s unassuming strip mall property to support the beginning of a joint campaign team of current and former Dolton elected officials hoping to win election on a platform drawing contrast to Henyard’s controversial leadership.
Trustee Jason House, who became an outspoken advocate for launching an investigation into Henyard’s spending of village tax dollars, formally announced his run for mayor. Former Trustee Edward Steave, who lost a bid for reelection last year, is running for trustee and incumbent Trustees Kiana Belcher and Brittney Norwood and Village Clerk Alison Key will seek reelection.
Ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability was the main goal emphasized repeatedly by the office seekers Sunday. While those standing at the podium in front of a “2025 Clean House” backdrop avoided directly naming Henyard, they expressed anger over what they saw as her administration’s betrayal of the public’s trust through mismanaging village funds.
Henyard did not respond to requests for comment.
“We’ve been locked out, we’ve been lied to, we’ve been stolen from as a community by the current mayor and administration,” Trustee Belcher told the crowd. “And this must stop.”
With Henyard drawing heavy criticism on social media for suspected corruption, the team of five politicians became outspoken opponents of the mayor and familiar allies to many of the concerned residents who pack the Village Hall at every monthly meeting.
Those in attendance Sunday included families with small children as well as seniors sitting in plastic chairs on the pavement and under the storefront.
Also present were officials including Dolton Trustee Tammie Brown, who is not up for reelection, and Thornton Township Trustee Chris Gonzalez, as well as members of the village firefighter’s union
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.While one person drove out to the event in protest, shouting out of a car window during speeches, peace was restored by the time House spoke about his mayoral campaign.
The crowd erupted into cheers, people stood to clap and one person honked a car horn. While House expressed his nerves for public speaking, he said as mayor he would unveil the secrets of the village’s financial state and create an environment that is welcoming to small businesses.
“We’re going to respect the viewpoints of different people,” House said. “We’re going to have a vision that’s not based on self promotion or political ambiguity. It’s going to be a vision that’s around unity for everybody in our town.”
He said his priorities if elected include public safety reform, connecting police officers more closely with community members, as well as crafting balanced budgets that put the village on a fiscally responsible track.
“We’re going to bring all of our audits current,” House said. “And no more fancy flights, no more first class trips, no more security detail,” referencing questioned trips made by village officials that led to a federal subpoena.
House said he understands his administration would likely inherit a litany of lawsuits filed against the village over several years. Dolton owes $33.5 million for judgment in a fatal police chase lawsuit and village funds were recently frozen due to a failure to pay a $220,000 settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit.
Those attending the campaign kickoff, lining up for a provided barbeque buffet tailgate after the speeches, expressed optimism about the candidates and their message of rebuilding trust in village government.
However, Kimberly Haynes, who has lived in Dolton for close to 30 years, said what she believes has changed most is that residents are paying more attention to their government than ever.
“What we’ll have is more awareness,” Haynes said. “Tiffany slid in there, and (the trustees) believed she was going to work with them … They have a reason to try and do better, and the village is going to be more in tune with what they do.”