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Tiffany Henyard recall, Dolton, Illinois (2022)
| Dolton mayor recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| June 28, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Illinois Illinois recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Dolton, Illinois, to recall Mayor Tiffany Henyard was initiated in April 2022. Members of the Dolton Village Board voted to place two referendums on the ballot for the election on June 28, 2022. The referendums would have enabled the recall of Henyard.[1][2] Both referendum passed on election night, but results were found invalid by judicial rulings.[3][4]
On June 15, 2022, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Paul Karkula ruled that both referendums were invalid. The referendums remained on the ballot, but Karkula ordered that votes could not be counted.[5] An appellate court ruled on June 24, 2022, that votes would be counted but the results would be pending a future ruling.[6] On September 30, 2022, the appellate court ruled that the results of both referendums were invalid.[4]
Henyard, a Democrat, was elected as mayor of Dolton on April 6, 2021, earning 82% of the vote against an independent candidate.[7]
Recall vote
Two referendums were on the ballot on June 28, 2022. The first question would have allowed for the recall of mayors in Dolton. The second question, if approved, would have removed Henyard from her position as mayor, contingent on the first question passing.[1][2]
Village of Dolton, Recall Mechanism
| “ |
Shall the following recall mechanism be adopted and effective immediately, upon certification by the County Clerk, for the Village of Dolton?: Recall of Village President (Mayor) Recall of the Village President (Mayor) of the Village of Dolton is established, applicable to, and effective as of the certification of results of the June 28, 2022, General Primary Election. Recall shall mean the power of the electorate of the Village of Dolton to remove the Village President (Mayor) from office, and to immediately create a vacancy in the office of Village President (Mayor) to be filled in the manner provided by law for filling such vacancy, by a majority vote of those voting on a question of whether to recall and remove the Village President (Mayor) of the Village of Dolton at a regularly scheduled election. Said question of whether to recall and remove the Village President (Mayor) of the Village of Dolton may be submitted either by resolution of the Dolton Corporate Authorities or by petition in the manner prescribed by law for the submission of public questions.[8] |
” |
Unofficial election results showed 1,900 votes in favor (56.4%) and 1,468 votes against (43.6%) implementing a recall mechanism in Dolton.[3]
Village of Dolton, Recall
| “ |
If the recall mechanism is passed by majority of voters at the June 28, 2022, General Primary Election, shall Tiffany A. Henyard be recalled and removed from the office of Village President (Mayor) of the Village of Dolton, effective upon certification of the election results by the Cook County Clerk? [8] |
” |
Tiffany Henyard recall, 2022
Tiffany Henyard lost the Mayor of Dolton recall election on June 28, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
56.1
|
1,960 | ||
No |
43.9
|
1,536 | |||
Total Votes |
3,496 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
Members of the village board accused Henyard of spending public funds without board approval, violating policies regarding hiring and firing employees, using village police as personal security, and ignoring Freedom of Information requests. Henyard was also accused of a conflict of interest after she was elected in March 2022 by the Thornton Township board to serve as township supervisor.[1][2]
Recall opponents
Henyard filed a lawsuit with the Cook County Circuit Court to challenge the constitutionality of both referendums. The lawsuit argued that both referendums could not be placed on the same ballot because of the possibility for a contradictory result if the first question failed and the second question was approved. The lawsuit also argued that the Equal Protection Clauses of the United States and Illinois Constitution were violated because the proposed recall mechanisms applied only to the office of mayor and not to village trustees.[1][2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cook County Record, "Embattled Dolton mayor says recall effort against her is unconstitutional," April 28, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chicago Tribune, "Dolton village trustees vote to pursue lawsuits against Mayor Tiffany Henyard," April 5, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cook County Clerk's Office, "June 28, 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election," accessed June 28, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chicago Tribune, "Column: Appellate court rules June 28 votes to recall Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard are invalid," September 30, 2022
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Column: Judge orders county clerk to disregard votes cast on Dolton mayoral recall questions," June 17, 2022
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Column: Court orders county clerk to count votes in Dolton mayoral recall referendum, after all," June 28, 2022
- ↑ Cook County Clerk's Office, "April 06, 2021 Consolidated General Election," accessed May 12, 2022
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
