Conflicts playing out among public officials in Dolton seem like a soap opera with a tragic plot.
On the one hand, it’s not all that unusual for elected officials to publicly hash out differences. Boards that govern municipalities, school districts and other taxing bodies often consist of opposing factions. It is normal to disagree.
In Dolton, however, a disturbing event from the summer frames the current political drama. On July 27, Dolton police fatally shot Alexis Wilson, 19, of Homewood, after an altercation at a restaurant.
The high-profile event was captured on police body cameras and surveillance video. Police struggled with Wilson outside a drive-thru window, then shot at her as she drove off in a minivan. Wilson crashed into a nearby business along Sibley Boulevard and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Illinois State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting. Family and community members have raise questions about the event during demonstrations at Dolton Village Hall and outside the home of Mayor Tiffany Henyard.
On Sept. 3, three protesters were cited on misdemeanor charges of disturbing a public meeting that Henyard had billed as “mandatory” attendance for residents. On Aug. 12, Henyard abruptly canceled a meeting to block the board majority. On Aug. 23, Henyard and Trustee Andrew Holmes had to abandon a scheduled meeting due to lack of a quorum when other trustees refused to attend in protest.
Wilson’s death looms large over Dolton government and politics. Henyard was elected to her first term in April on a reform platform after being highly critical of her predecessor, Riley Rogers. Now Henyard’s critics among the Village Board majority have raised questions about transparency and Henyard’s governance.
Trustees have accused Henyard of locking them out of Village Hall and blocking their efforts to place items on public meeting agendas. The board majority voted earlier this month to hire legal counsel to represent their interests.
During a Village Board meeting Monday night — actually two separate board meetings — the majority blocked Henyard’s attempt to award a contract to replace concrete sidewalks outside Village Hall. The board met via videoconference due to the pandemic.
During a special meeting, Trustee Kiana Belcher moved to table a vote on the sidewalks because other items requested by trustees were not added to the agenda, she said. Trustee Edward Steave said he was unaware Henyard called a special meeting in addition to a committee of the whole session scheduled for that evening,
Henyard told Steave he missed the deadline to submit agenda item requests. The delay in awarding a contract placed the village at risk of being unable to complete the concrete work before winter, Henyard said.
“If someone is behind on timelines there’s no reason to stop progress for the village of Dolton,” she said.
Stonewalling and gridlock appear to be the norm rather than the exception these days in Dolton government. Henyard sought the board’s approval Monday to hire a $3,000 per month media consultant, but trustees voted 5-1 to reject the proposal. Holmes, a well-known community activist, was the sole vote in support of the mayor.
Before the vote, Henyard said spokesman Sean Howard was no longer working for the village. She introduced Charles Thomas, a former ABC7 reporter, who pitched the services of his venture, Black Excellence Media, with his business partner, Patricia Easley.
“We will provide ready and able spokespersons on call whenever needed,” Thomas said. “Most importantly, we will work to develop a fresh narrative about the village of Dolton and all of the good things that are happening there.”
In my opinion, Dolton doesn’t need a spin doctor to weave yarns about what a wonderful place it is. Dolton needs transparency, integrity, honesty and accountability.
If Dolton officials want to change the narrative about their community of 23,000 residents, they ought to start by getting their own village government house in order. A mayor openly at odds with a board majority not only creates an unfavorable image of conflict and tension, it also undermines the community’s hopes of improvement and success.
Trustees in the majority said Monday they wanted to wait to hire a new media consultant until three new part-time customer service representatives were hired for the Department of Public Works. Trustee Tammy Brown said Village Administrator Dorothy Brown told Public Works Committee members Dolton would be unable to fill the positions due to cash flow concerns.
“I said the mayor and I would be looking at the hire list,” Dorothy Brown responded. “We have not even finalized looking at the hire list. We will take everything into consideration.”
Dorothy Brown is a former circuit court clerk for Cook County. She was not charged in connection with a federal bribery and corruption investigation of the clerk’s office. She was criticized during her tenure for the office’s lack of modernization, among other complaints.
Henyard told me in May that Brown was heading her transition team. At the time, Henyard indicated she did not intend to seek Brown’s appointment as village administrator. Henyard did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
Whatever goodwill Henyard rode into office seems to have evaporated. If the newly elected mayor experienced a “honeymoon” with the Village Board majority, it is over.
It seems like the Village Board majority is determined to block Henyard at every turn. Dolton residents would be better served if Henyard and the board majority showed more mutual respect toward one another.
It is reasonable to give state police time to investigate the shooting of Wilson by Dolton police. At the same time, Henyard ought to show more consideration for family members grieving the unexplained loss of a loved one and demonstrators seeking answers about the tragic event.
Ted Slowik is a columnist at the Daily Southtown.