DOLTON, Ill. (CBS) — A village board meeting erupted Monday evening in Dolton, nearly erupting harsh words between residents and others.
A resident coming from the Dolton Village Hall called what happened a ‘disgrace’. The nearly two-hour meeting was not adjourned; it was cut short when the argument almost became physical and police were forced to intervene and prevent a fight.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot agreed in April to investigate Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard amid claims that Henyard had misused public funds. After Lightfoot tried to speak from the crowd at Monday night’s village board meeting, things quickly started to get chaotic.
Chairs were quickly pushed aside. There was already a large Dolton police presence ahead of the heated trustees meeting – and officers had to intervene to keep the two feuding parties apart.
One side supports Henyard, the other side supports the trustees’ move to move forward with the independent investigation that Lightfoot will lead.
There were constant interruptions during the night. Dolton Police Chief Lewis Lacey warned that the meeting would be shut down if order was not maintained.
Yet chaos still erupted when Mayor Henyard refused to allow Lightfoot to speak and attempted to adjourn the meeting.
“This is all big. This is what we’re doing right now. It’s sad that we have to go through this,” Henyard said as Lightfoot stood in front of a microphone that was not on.
The crowd in the village hall chanted, “Let her speak” – Lightfoot spoke as Henyard continued to raise objections – and soon the crowd was enraged.
Last month, Henyard vetoed the investigation Lightfoot will lead, saying, “How dare you think you can come into someone’s town and investigate? You don’t get paid.”
But when the motion came that Dolton village officials should override Henyard’s veto, unrest arose. When Lightfoot took the stage, her microphone wasn’t on, but she eventually said a few words to the residents of Dolton.
Lightfoot said she “will not allow anyone to hold us back and hinder our ability to get the facts.”
Mayor Henyard left the room as the fight was about to begin. But she insists she has nothing to hide, calling the investigation a distraction from Dolton’s business.
“Things have gotten out of hand, and that’s largely because people, as we’re seeing, are being locked out of the meeting and not allowed to speak – and we’re following the Roberts Rules of Order, and they’re still refusing to allow that,” said Dolton Village. Trustee Jason House. “The residents are frustrated.”
Meanwhile, Dolton Village Trustee Andrew Holmes was in attendance Monday evening for the first time in weeks. Holmes has been absent since accusations and a civil lawsuit allege he sexually assaulted a former Dolton employee during a village-funded trip to Las Vegas.
Holmes did not speak Monday evening or address the civil suit.
Ultimately, the trustees were able to get enough votes to override Henyard’s veto of Lightfoot’s investigation – and so the investigation continues.
This research runs parallel to one FBI investigation at Dolton Village Hall.
Ultimately, the police did not arrest anyone during the commotion on Monday evening. They just cleared the room.
