SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (WGN) — Tiffany Henyard, the embattled and now-former Thornton Township supervisor and Village of Dolton mayor, has been ousted from south suburban politics, at least for the time being.
Dolton and Thornton Township will have new leadership after residents made it clear at the polls Tuesday night, and well before, that they’re looking for change.
Village of Dolton Senior Trustee Jason House won the election for Dolton mayor by a landslide, while State Sen. Napoleon B. Harris III claimed victory to become the Thornton Township Supervisor-elect, unseating the incumbent, self-proclaimed “Super Mayor” Henyard.
“Let’s enjoy the rest of the evening, but tomorrow, we go to work,” Harris said to end his victory speech Tuesday night.
Thornton Township supervisor
Henyard — who’s under FBI investigation for questionable use of taxpayer money — lost the Democratic nomination for Thornton Township supervisor during a December 2024 caucus and failed a legal challenge that followed, leaving her with only one option, to become a longshot write-in candidate.
South suburban voters, however, chose to write Henyard off instead of writing her in.
Harris topped the Democratic ticket for the Thornton Township supervisor seat, while Richard Nolan was featured at the top of the Republican ticket. Other candidates in the field included independent Nate Fields Jr. and Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark, who was on the official ballot as the Reform Party candidate, despite saying in February he was dropping out of the race.
With 100% of precincts reporting, according to the Cook County Clerk website, Harris — a Dixmoor native and Northwestern University graduate who played seven seasons as an NFL linebacker from 2002-08 — claimed 74.4% of the vote. Fields was second at 10.7%, followed by Nolan at 10.3% and Clark at 4.7%.
“Napoleon represents part of my ward," Chicago Ald. Peter Chico (10th Ward) said Tuesday. "I’ve gotten to know him as a senator, and as a human being, and I’m really proud of what he’s doing tonight, and I look forward to his leadership in the township.
"… Napoleon’s the right man for the job, and he’s going to lead this township on the right path forward."
A watch party, which later turned into a celebration, was held in Lansing, where Harris was flanked by other elected officials and newly-elected Thornton Township colleagues.
“I’m one of those people, I ordered all the books on what the township is about, what each position is, and, Napoleon, I’m going to hold you to your word," Thornton Township Trustee-elect Mary Avent said. "I’m going to keep you in check. We’re going to do what we’re supposed to do."
Avent, who has fought for change in Dolton and Thornton Township, said she wants everyone to come together and is looking forward to the future.
“I want to see all the townships work together," Avent said. "I don’t want us to be the largest township, I want us to be the best township, so that’s what I’m in it for."
Henyard, meanwhile, made a last-ditch effort to get votes as a write-in candidate in the Thornton Township supervisor race, but returns at the ballot box showed a drastically different result than she’d hoped for.
“It’s your favorite ‘Super Mayor,’ Tiffany A. Henyard, the people’s mayor/people’s supervisor,” Henyard said on Facebook Live. “The people was always loving on me, because I’ve always showed up and showed out for them, despite what the fake news was telling y’all.”
Dolton mayor
In her other political position, Henyard was ousted from the mayoral ballot in Dolton after a lopsided loss to House in the Democratic primary on Feb. 25. House won the primary with 3,896 votes (87.91%), compared to Henyard’s 536 votes (12.09%).
Henyard filed a legal challenge to the Democratic primary results in the days that followed, which was also struck down. House’s win in the mayoral primary landed him a spot on the ticket against independent candidate Casundra Hopson-Jordan.
With 100% of precincts reporting, House soundly defeated Hopson-Jordan, 3,171 votes to 152, in Dolton’s mayoral race.
“We really have been showing teamwork and comradery again in the community, and we’ve really shown that we have the skills and the knowledge, and we’re ready to take this thing home,” House said Tuesday. “Our plan for tonight is to have a modest celebration and get ready to go to work.”
WGN-TV spoke off-camera with House at the victory party for Harris in Lansing, where House showed up to give his support. House said he didn’t want to take the spotlight away from Harris at the latter’s event, but House expressed his gratitude and said he’s ready for what comes next.
Voters tired of Henyard
It’s unclear how many write-ins Henyard received in Tuesday’s consolidated election. Many voters told WGN News they were ready to turn over a new leaf.
South Holland residents Damita and George Harrell said it was important to get out and do their civic duty.
“It’s been an embarrassment and a stain on South Holland to have South Holland continue to pop up on the news with her acting crazy in meetings and stuff like that,” Damita Harrell said. “I had no intention of voting for her at all.”
Anthony Bradley Jr. agreed.
"We’ve had a lot of negative attention the last couple weeks, the last couple months, so I really wanted to bring some change," he said. "My sister’s actually on the ballot for school board."
Region: Chicago,Politics,City: Chicago
via Your Local Election Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois | WGN TV https://wgntv.com
April 2, 2025 at 08:01AM
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