GENEVA, N.Y. — The Geneva City Council voted 7-1 on Sunday to initiate an ethics review into Councilor-at-Large Ahmad Whitfield following his recent arrest on felony drug charges.
The referral sends the matter to the city’s Board of Ethical Review to determine if Whitfield’s conduct violated local standards. While the council moved forward with the probe, Mayor Jim Cecere clarified that the board lacks the authority to remove an elected official, with disciplinary options limited primarily to censure.
Whitfield, 45, was arrested Jan. 7 by the New York State Police Violent Gangs and Narcotics Enforcement Team. According to official police reports, he is charged with second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, an A-II felony, and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Investigators allege Whitfield sold approximately one ounce of cocaine.
The mayor has publicly called for Whitfield’s resignation, stating that the legal proceedings leave the city without full representation and hinder the council’s ability to function as a legislative body.
“While resignation is a personal decision, doing so would expedite resolution of this matter and allow the city to move forward without continued disruption,” Cecere said in a statement released earlier this month.
Whitfield was released without bail following a court appearance on Jan. 12. Under New York state law and the Geneva City Charter, a vacancy is only automatically created upon a felony conviction or a voluntary resignation.
One council member dissented in the ethics vote, arguing that the probe was premature given the ongoing criminal case. Whitfield did not attend Sunday’s meeting and has not yet entered a plea regarding the ethics referral.