Honoring Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard after suffering business brunch

On Saturday, community leaders gathered at South Suburban College to recognize the area’s top businesses and area individuals at the 11th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Business Brunch.

Dalton Mayor Tiffany Henyard received the Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award, LaToya McDonald was named Business Person of the Year, and longtime company Land Off-Frost was named Business of the Year.

Henyard’s tenure as mayor has been mired in controversy, including allegations of extravagant spending on beauty treatments, expensive trips to Las Vegas, a proposal to cap mayoral compensation at $25,000 for his successor, and a lawsuit from trustees. It is attracting national attention. on suspicion of financial fraud.

Nevertheless, Henyard defended himself in hyperbolic terms, and there was a similar sentiment on Saturday.

After at one point blaming “political tricks” by the media and the opposition. Ms Henyard pointed out that she oversaw the construction of a large-scale ice skating rink, which in her opinion received little credit and that the attackers were making money off of social media views. He claimed that

“People will drag you down and mount a smear campaign,” Henyard said.

But she went on to say, “I’m Martin Luther King, I’m Rosa Parks, and I’m Harriet Tubman.”

The theme of the event was civility.

Aside from Henyard, the other honorees followed the familiar script of thanking the community and the university for their recognition.

“We want to invest in these organizations in the community,” said Kelly Howard, vice president of supply chain for Lansing-based Land of Frost.

Land O’ Frost is a family-owned sliced ​​sandwich meat company and national band. But Howard said staying close to home is still important.

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“We have many employees who are part of this community, and the work you do to empower our communities and our youth is of great benefit to our youth. I’m grateful,” she said.

But the top event leaders touched on national politics, as Saturday marks the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Keynote speaker and Illinois Supreme Court Justice J. Scott Neville Jr. said the best solution to the Jan. 6 debate, no matter which side you’re on, is at the polls. he told the audience.

“There’s one simple solution to that problem: Vote,” he said. “You have your own power. … If you don’t vote, you can’t win.”

However, he also pointed out that while a sense of right and wrong is necessary, even a seemingly correct solution may not be popular.

“Conscience will ask the question, ‘Is that right?'” Neville says. “Every day in my workday, there comes a time when I have to take a position, and that position is neither safe nor politically correct nor popular. …To this day, I continue to take that position. I am.”

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.