The woman who calls herself "super mayor" -- supervisor of Thornton Township and mayor of Dolton -- is not backing down.
Tiffany Henyard and her supporters claim this week's caucus was rigged. It ended with her being thrown off the ballot for Thornton Township supervisor.
"It was a hostile takeover," Henyard said. "We will be in court. This is a legal battle."
Henyard lost her bid for re-election Tuesday night during a Democratic caucus, with State Sen. Napoleon Harris getting the nomination for Thornton Township supervisor.
Henyard, who also serves as mayor of Dolton, said the process was not fair.
"[Harris] did not acknowledge anyone. … I was the only one who stood up to him. … That was the biggest voter suppression I have ever seen," she said.
"There were people inside that were not from Thornton Township. … There were children inside the building yelling and voting," said Keith Price, who works for the township.
Henyard also said many of her supporters were kept out of the building.
"I asked, 'Can you let residents in?' They said no. There is a party – I said, but I said, 'Let them in,' and they said no," she said.
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Attorney Burt Odelson told NBC Chicago those seeking the nomination for Thornton township supervisor needed all eight people for their slate, which includes the supervisor, the highway director, the clerk, the assessor and four trustees. Henyard, we were told, did not have a certified assessor on her ticket, deeming her invalid for consideration.
"That is not true," Henyard said. "How would you know that if you didn't give me a chance to make my nominations?"
A spokesman for Senator Harris told NBC Chicago in a statement: "These claims, made by Supervisor Tiffany Henyard and her campaign representative, Keith Price, are categorically false and reflect nothing more than the behavior of sore losers unwilling to accept the democratic outcome of the caucus. Let’s be clear: the caucus proceedings were conducted in accordance with established protocols… She used government funds to transport residents to the meeting—many of whom wore campaign shirts—a blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars…The Thornton Township Democratic Caucus was conducted with integrity, and we stand firmly behind the results."
Meanwhile, Henyard said she will be on the April ballot but did not elaborate.
