chicagotribune.com

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard faces eviction in spat with landlord

Mike Nolan, Emily Hoerner 4–5 minutes

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard appears to be facing eviction from a home she rents with a Thornton Township employee, with the homeowner saying 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 Henyard and Kamal Woods had been paying rent on a month-to-month basis since their lease expired at the end of May 2023.

Henyard is facing at least one challenger in next year’s municipal election, where she will seek a second term as mayor, and is also under federal investigation regarding her role as mayor in Dolton and as supervisor in Thornton Township.

Subpoenas also seeking records related to Henyard have been served at Thornton Township High School District 205.

Woods works for the township as supervisor of its youth assistance program, and a new subpoena served on the township seeks records in relation to state grant money received for the program.

The landlord’s September filing indicates Henyard and Woods have refused requests for an inspection of the Harvard Street property, and the landlord is terminating the lease for non-renewal on the tenants’ part as well as non-payment of rent.

A notice of termination of the lease was sent Sept. 18 to Henyard and Woods, with the landlord stating they had five days to comply as far as payment of back rent and coming to terms on a new lease.

If that did not happen, the landlord would begin legal proceedings to recover rent as well as possession of the home, according to the filing.

Reached by phone and email Monday, the landlord declined comment.

Beau Brindley, a Chicago attorney representing Henyard on other matters, said the complaint by the landlord “is not brought in good faith” and that “no proof of missed payment can be produced as no payment has ever been missed.”

The attorney said the filing is “brought based on ill motives and will not stand up in the face of scrutiny.”

As Dolton’s mayor, Henyard is supposed to be receiving a salary of $46,000, and she also earns $224,000 a year as Thornton Township supervisor.

A W-2 statement provided by Dolton shows that for last year, Henyard was paid wages of just under $62,000 by 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 Thornton Township and “Project B Youth Violence Prevention.”

A spokesperson for the state DCEO said in a statement that 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 by a $500,000 grant “for violence interruption, community development and operational expenses and administrative costs.” The address given for the program, on Sibley Boulevard in Dolton, comes up 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 career training to young people. He said the person who directs the program, Woods, is paid a six-figure salary.

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 home are sent to Henyard at that address. The first installment of property taxes due this year, about $1,600, was paid, but the second installment, due Aug. 1, is delinquent, and just under $3,600 is owed.

“no proof of missed payment can be produced as no payment has ever been missed.”

The 3x rent rule appears to be ineffective here. I bet her credit score is low. I'm figuring they should be taking home about $ 20,000 after tax yet they can't cover a $ 2400 rent payment? Believe it or not, I see many folks making well into the six digits struggling mainly because they're living large. Again, there are a LOT of people making this kind of money who have a lot of stuff but NO MONEY because they're too busy flexing to impress. Ridiculous.

"Reached on Monday by The Independent, landlord Genetta

"Hull declined to comment further on the situation.

The couple pays $2,400 a month for the apartment, NBC Chicago reported. Their payments are not egregiously late, and it is not known why Hull moved so quickly to evict, according to WGN. Henyard, who earns $300,000 a year as mayor, also serves as supervisor of Thornton Township, where Woods makes $100,000-plus as youth director, according to the nonprofit Illinois Answers Project."

Chicago? Her voters think it is clever to live without paying rent. An eviction won't hurt her political career. She will run on the platform "the rent is too high"

@Oregon Woodsmoke [ID] Definite red flag.

Its a shame they can't see a mayor who would "live off the Land" is taking advantage of another person, and basically stealing. The mayor who would steal from a rental would steal from taxpayers.

In fact its far easier to steal their tax money because usually nobody is looking with the 2nd, and she already has the keys