Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard is facing eviction because of a dispute with her landlord

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard is apparently facing eviction from a home she rented with a Thornton Township employee, with the homeowner saying she has more than $3,000 in missed payments, court documents show.

A court filing filed in Cook County Circuit Court in September by the landlord of the home in the 14600 block of Harvard Street shows Henyard owes $3,350 in back rent and late fees.

Court records show Henyard and Kamal Woods have been paying rent monthly since their lease expired at the end of May 2023.

Henyard faces at least one challenger in next year's local elections, in which she is seeking a second term as mayor. She is also under investigation for her roles as mayor of Dolton and supervisor of Thornton Township.

Subpoenas were served in Thornton Township High School District 205, also requesting records related to Henyard.

Woods works for the township as a supervisor of the child welfare program, and a new subpoena to the township demands records of state grants she received for the program.

The landlord's September filing shows that Henyard and Woods have rejected requests to inspect the Harvard Street property and the landlord is terminating the lease due to non-renewal by the tenants and non-payment of rent.

A lease termination notice was sent to Henyard and Woods on September 18th. The landlord explained that he had five days to pay back the rent and agree on a new rental agreement.

If that doesn't happen, the landlord would initiate legal proceedings to reclaim the rent and possession of the home, the filing said.

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

Beau 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 of a missed payment can be presented because no payment has ever been missed.” .

The lawyer said the lawsuit was “filed with bad motives and will not stand up to scrutiny.”

As mayor of Dolton, Henyard will receive a salary of $46,000, and she will also earn $224,000 a year as Thornton Township supervisor.

A W-2 statement provided by Dolton shows Henyard received nearly $62,000 in wages from the village last year.

According to 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 grants since 2020 and Plan B Youth Violence Prevention was among the programs funded last year through a $500,000 grant “Funded for violence disruption, community development and operational costs and administrative costs.” The address listed for the program on Sibley Boulevard in Dolton is listed in Cook County records as a car wash operation.

Chris Gonzalez, a township administrator, said he believes the youth program was created to provide college scholarships and job training to young people. He said the person running the program, Woods, makes a six-figure salary.

Public records do not indicate Henyard lives 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, has been paid, but the second installment, due Aug. 1, is delinquent and just under $3,600 is owed.

Originally published: September 30, 2024 at 2:25 p.m