Mayor Tiffany Henyard will soon see an end to her leadership in a Chicago suburb. After years of scandals and questions about her decisions and leadership style, the mayor has been defeated in a Democratic primary and won’t be on the ballot for the upcoming general election.

Henyard defeated in a landslide

On Tuesday, challenger Jason House defeated incumbent Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard in the village’s Democratic primary. House, a trustee of Dolton, won by nearly 90%, receiving 3,896 votes compared to only 536 votes for Henyard, who had previously served as a village trustee before becoming mayor. “We faced four years of intimidation, four years of failure,” House said in his victory speech, “and tonight is a new day for the community of Dolton.” The primary results set up a race between House and independent candidate Casundra Hopson-Jordan; the final vote will be held April 1. Henyard, meanwhile, skipped her election party but told WGN that “the people have spoken” and “God must have a different plan.”

Controversies multiplied for ‘mafia mayor’

Henyard became the youngest and first woman mayor of Dolton in 2021, and her tenure was marked by controversy. Henyard was accused of bullying and harassing local businesses into supporting her. She was also accused of abusing her security detail and discretionary budget for personal and political benefit. Her name was tied to a charity with questionable financial management. These various scandals led to comparisons to the television show Parks and Recreation and the character Nino Brown from the movie New Jack City, and she was labeled the “mafia mayor” by opponents. Henyard defended her actions as mayor, telling Blavity in a 2024 interview that the accusations against her were false or misinterpreted. She labeled herself a “super mayor” who had brought investment to Dolton while facing racist and misogynistic threats and attacks, some of which she shared with Blavity.

Unusual campaign season for Henyard

The last few months saw Henyard continue to make headlines. In January, Henyard, who also serves as supervisor of Thornton Township, was involved in a physical fight during a Thornton Township Board of Trustees meeting after a local activist hurled accusations and expletives at her during the event. After the brawl, Henyard released a statement saying that “in the face of endless false accusations and outright lies about Mayor Henyard that are being trafficked on social media by her political enemies, it is unsurprising that violence erupted.” She blamed the fight on “false information” that put her and others in danger. In February, Henyard apparently released a rap song, extolling how she was “feeding the people” through her political activities.

Now, Henyard will be looking to the next stage of her career. Her defeat brings to a close a very unusual political story while setting up a new chapter for the people of Dolton. What happens to Henyard remains to be seen, but given her track record, it’s possible that we have not yet seen the last of Henyard in the public eye.

IllinoisPrimaryTiffany Henyard