‘I’m a whistleblower’: Trustee turns on Tiffany Henyard

THORNTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. – Tiffany Henyard has enjoyed near-unanimous support on the Thornton Township board, but that’s now changing following a series of WGN Investigates’ reports on her spending.

”Today, I am breaking my silence and speaking out against Thornton Township Supervisor and Mayor of Dolton Tiffany Henyard, who I believe has engaged in unethical and predatory behavior throughout her tenure,” trustee Carmen Carlisle wrote in an emailed statement to WGN. “For the past two years, Henyard has manipulated employees, vendors, and residents, using her position to increase her influence, all while projecting a false image of success, funded by the hardworking taxpayers of Thornton Township and the Village of Dolton.”

Carlisle acknowledged at a recent board meeting that she rarely raised questions about lavish trips and other spending charged to township taxpayers.

“I trusted the administration,” Carlisle said on Aug. 15 while looking at Supervisor Henyard.

Carlisle and other township trustees then voted to put new restrictions on spending for special events and access to credit cards.

“I am standing up, not just for myself, but for others who have been affected by what I see as Henyard’s abusive leadership,” Carlisle’s statement said. “I believe there are many more victims who have been retaliated against, fired or lied to by Henyard, but have yet to speak out.”

Henyard ridiculed Carlisle’s new-found challenge at an August meeting.

“I think I’m going to get you a new nickname: ‘Lyin’ Carlisle,’” Henyard said in front of a packed audience. “I’m tired of everyone in here/. There always has to be a show.”

In January, WGN Investigates reported Henyard and her entourage racked-up $67,000 in charges for trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City in a five-month span. Carlisle was on at least one of the trips along with other trustees and township officials.

In Atlanta, the group stayed at the Four Seasons and brought home a bill of $9,347. However, WGN Investigates has learned the township spending is just the tip of the iceberg.

Watch WGN News at 9 p.m. Tuesday to see credit card charges billed to Dolton taxpayers that Henyard’s administration fought to keep hidden.

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