The Springfield City Council President has cleared a "no confidence" vote, with most councilors deeming her fit to lead as they wait to hear back from the State Ethics Commission.
About two-thirds of the council chamber affirmed their confidence in Council President Tracye Whitfield Monday night.
The resolution stemmed, in-part, from a city legal review that listed multiple conflict of interest cases involving Whitfield and a property development company she co-managed until last month.
Whitfield's frequent failure to document conflicts of interest with the city, as well as her advocacy for JETS Property Development, LLC, while serving as a councilor, were at the center of a 102-page memorandum issued last month.
The city solicitor found said actions and others appeared to violate state conflict of interest statutes, leading to him submitting the department’s findings to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.
On Monday, councilors like Ward 8's Zaida Govan said they were not interested in prosecuting their colleague when the matter is already before the commission.
"I feel like we're rushing to judgment," Govan said. "We have a lot of information that came out and I know that it's now going to the State Ethics Commission, so I think that they should decide what it is that we need to do. There could be a fine ... I didn't see any crimes committed in the solicitor's memo."
Only four councilors voted "yes" on the “no confidence” resolution Monday.
If passed, the order would have meant “respectfully" requesting the president resign “from her position as presiding officer.”
Whitfield has previously said she will not resign.
She has also acknowledged mistakes were made in terms of conflict of interest rules, and is seeking to improve councilor training on the matter.
