Fired employee sues scandal-ridden Illinois mayor as residents demand resignation
Sandra Tracy, who is suing Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, joined 'America's Newsroom' alongside attorney Matt Custardo to discuss the lawsuit and why residents are demanding Henyard step down.
A woman who formerly worked for Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard spoke to Fox News Channel this week about her lawsuit against her former employer, claiming she is suing the mayor after she was forced to work out of her car and ultimately fired.
"People are having issues from the leadership of this administration," former Thornton Township Human Resources manager Sandra Tracy told "America’s Newsroom" on Thursday, after stating the stress resulted in her having a major heart attack.
Co-host Bill Hemmer spoke to Tracy about the situation, stating, "I understand you showed up for work, you were locked out, you worked out of your car in the parking lot for months, and then you were fired."
DEMOCRATIC ILLINOIS ‘SUPER MAYOR’ VETOES ATTEMPT TO PROBE HER LAVISH SPENDING
Illinois employee Sandra Tracy tells Fox News Channel about her lawsuit against Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard. (Screenshot/FNC)
Tracy replied, "Well, that’s correct. I was on a medical leave, an FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) medical leave and I attempted to return back to work. I asked for a meeting to go over the details of my return and unfortunately, I was not given any place to work in the building."
The former employee added that as a result, she worked out of her car. A local Fox story on the lawsuit noted that Tracy did this for months and reported that when she complained about six weeks of lost pay, that’s when Thornton Township fired her.
In addition to being mayor of Dolton, Henyard currently serves as the county supervisor for Thornton Township. In both roles, Henyard has gained notoriety for being "narcissistic," wasting taxpayer dollars on lavish spending and allegedly abusing power.
According to FOIA request records, the mayor put her personal stylist on the government payroll as an "ADMIN. ASSISTANT."
Henyard’s alleged corruption has aggravated the local community, leading to tense confrontations between her and members of the public at recent town hall meetings. During one this month, an irate woman blasted her, saying, "How dare you? How dare you steal, and I helped you with your campaign, how dare you steal from us?"
Tiffany Henyard has been accused of extravagant spending that could bankrupt Village of Dolton, Illinois (Photo illustration). (Village of Dolton | stylemebrandon - Instagram/screenshot )
On "America's Newsroom," the lawyer representing Tracy and the other plaintiffs’ lawsuit, Matt Custardo, said Henyard is "used to being a bully, intimidating people. She’s not backing down. But neither are we. You know, we’ve got people like our clients, Sandra – she’s not backing down. She’s stepping up, and she’s going to keep fighting this."
When asked about whether the mayor has allowed investigations into her alleged abuses, or attempted to provide evidence absolving her of misusing funds, Custardo said, "Look there’s been no transparency. It’s gotten so bad that the village board has asked the FBI to come in and investigate because Mayor Henyard refuses to be transparent about how she spent taxpayer dollars."
Tracey then disclosed the health crisis she’s undergone while dealing with Henyard at the Township. "People have really been damaged by this administration," she said, noting, "My personal situation is that I was trying very hard to get paid, and I couldn’t get anybody to respond to me – not to call, text, or email."
"And the pressure of not getting paid for so long actually had a very bad effect on me. I experienced a drop-dead major heart attack," she said.
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Tracey followed up by saying she is currently "feeling great," but added, "that was something that was so horrific, to not be paid, to not be allowed in the building. My manager actually told me, ‘Don’t come in. Stay on the porch.’"
Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Henyard's office for comment.