Illinois town appoints potential replacement for America's Worst Mayor as new videos show her enlisting a DJ in sessions

The board members of the city of Dalton, Illinois, have appointed a mayor pro tempore who could, in theory, step in to serve in place of the current mayor, should she refuse to execute the duties of her office.

The move came as citizens of the town continue their efforts to oust Mayor Tiffany Henyard - who has repeatedly been dubbed America's Worst Mayor.

At present, Henyard is under federal investigation, and was recently served federal subpoenas seeking records about trips taken by city officials and potential financial mismanagement.

The 40-year-old municipal leader has developed a nationally terrible reputation for her confrontational antics, failure to do her job, alleged corruption and apparent disdain for her constituents, whom she has berated publicly and once with the assistance of a DJ. 

Jason House, a trustee of the city, was voted in as mayor pro tempore at a special meeting. Should Henyard be absent, or otherwise unable or unwilling to perform her duties, House now has the ability to pay town bills and sign off on official business.

Tiffany Henyard, 40, of Dolton, Illinois, has repeatedly been dubbed America's Worst Mayor as she attempts to fight federal investigations into the potentially criminal mismanagement of her office

Jason House (pictured), a trustee of the city, was voted in as mayor pro tempore at a special meeting. Should Henyard be absent, or otherwise unable or unwilling to perform her duties, House now has the ability to pay town bills and sign off on official business

Henyard, who calls herself a 'supermayor,' is expected to veto the action, despite consistent reports that she is ignoring important town business, and the move was made in order to ensure the village can function and its residents can receive necessary services.

'This is not a replacement. This ordinance is strictly in the refusal or inability for the mayor to do her duties, an appointed senior trustee to step in and make sure the necessary documents are signed and business moves forward,' House said at Monday night's trustee meeting. 

Since her election in 2021, Henyard has faced allegations of corruption, fraud and financial mismanagement, including a lawsuit filed a month ago claiming she worked to cover-up a sexual assault on a trip to Las Vegas in 2023.

She has already vetoed the board's request to launch a federal investigation into her alleged misuse of town finances, and most recently, she vetoed the board's hiring of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who had been recruited to lead a special investigation into Henyard.

Henyard said that the town would not compensate Lightfoot, a former prosecutor, for her work. The former Chicago top dog would have been paid some $400 an hour for her work leading the investigation.

Henyard rejected the move, telling the city council meeting: 'You know, it's veto power, so how dare you think you can come into someone’s town and do work?'

'There is a right way to do things, and this is just not that,' she said. '(Lightfoot) will not be paid for her services.'

Mayor Tiffany Henyard is pictured at the town meeting where she employed a DJ to demand residents pay her to the tune of Rihanna's 'B**** Better Have My Money'

Trustees in Dolton voted to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (pictured) to investigate the embattled mayor, before the move was vetoed - by said mayor - last week 

The 2023 Vegas trip was among the issues that were set to be investigated by Lightfoot, and was allegedly one of several taxpayer funded trips Henyard took, which wound up totaling more than $102,000. 

The former Chicago mayor was hired at a previous city council meeting when trustees voted for her to launch a special investigation into Henyard's finances. 

Dolton's current mayor sparked ongoing anger by using her veto power to end the probe into herself, as residents at the meeting called for her resignation and slammed her scandal-ridden tenure as mayor. 

One woman at the meeting said: 'You’re not accountable, you don’t respect people who don’t agree with you, you’re not qualified for that seat.'

Alongside the embattled mayor, Dolton Village Administrator Keith Freeman was also one subject of the subpoenas, which asked for information that included reimbursements involving his businesses. 

News of Henyard's subpoenas was first reported earlier this month by Fox 32 Chicago, which obtained records that revealed the mayor is the target of an escalating criminal investigation. 

Former FBI agent Ross Rice told the outlet: 'It's very broad in scope. 

'It's very broad in the number of people and entities they're asking for records on. So, there must be some serious allegations of wrongdoing that they're trying to get to the bottom of.

'The mayor and the Township Supervisor, who are one and the same, appear to be the primary focus of the investigation.

'Overall, it tells me that the investigation is expanding. It's not just focusing on the City of Dolton,' he said.

Residents say the mayor has repeatedly, cheated, and stolen from them. One woman at a recent town meeting said: 'You’re not accountable, you don’t respect people who don’t agree with you, you’re not qualified for that seat'

One subpoena reportedly focuses solely on Henyard, and includes a section focused on a restaurant and a property management company she owns, as well as her political fund and the cancer charity that bears her name.

The subpoena seeks all records including personnel files, wage and tax statements, time and attendance records, records of work performed, contracts, and checks written to 'cash.'

The second subpoena requests township records, including financial reports, budgets, payroll records, and ordinances covering credit card purchases, expense reimbursements, security details and use of vehicles.