Tiffany Henyard, a former Illinois mayor previously dubbed 'America's worst mayor' due to a series of controversies, has achieved recent legal and electoral successes. She recently won a court case against her former landlord and secured a Republican primary nomination for a seat on the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in Georgia.
In the Illinois case, a judge ruled that Henyard, 42, did not owe approximately $10,000 in unpaid rent to her former landlord, Genetta Hull. The Cook County Circuit Court judge determined that Henyard's name was not properly signed on the lease, absolving her of the rent allegations. However, the judge ruled that Henyard's boyfriend, Kamal Woods, did owe the landlord over $7,000. The court also awarded Henyard over $1,000 in back pay for an identity protection service and $500 in attorney fees, citing a "very serious breach of Henyard's privacy" after Hull allegedly published Henyard's Social Security number.
The legal victory in Illinois followed weeks after Henyard won the Republican primary election for a Fulton County Board of Commissioners seat in Georgia. This win marks a potential comeback for Henyard after she was ousted from her position as mayor of Dolton, Illinois, in a landslide election loss last year. Her tenure as mayor was marked by numerous scandals, including allegations of mismanagement of millions of dollars and physical altercations with activists.
Henyard switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in March, stating that she could no longer support the actions she witnessed within the Democratic Party and that the Republican Party represented "faith, family, future growth and economic policy." She dubbed her return to public office campaign "Project Phoenix." Despite winning the Republican primary, critics suggest Henyard faces an uphill battle in the general election in the heavily Democratic district.
During her time as mayor of Dolton, an independent investigation led by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot revealed alleged financial improprieties. The investigation found that from 2021 through June 2024, town credit cards were used for over $171,000 in travel-related expenses, including trips to Las Vegas. The report also noted over $50,000 spent at local restaurants, along with purchases from retailers such as Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Wayfair, and Apple. The Dolton Board of Trustees subsequently banned Henyard from using town credit cards in August 2024. The report indicated that Dolton's budget surplus of $5.61 million in April 2022 had dwindled to a $3.65 million deficit by May 2024. Lightfoot's report suggested that Henyard and her administration systematically attempted to conceal the village's financial condition from trustees and the public.