Former mayor pays Elyria for alleged improper spending, denies wrongdoing

Former Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield returned to Elyria this weekend to hand deliver a check in the exact amount that the Ohio auditor said he may have improperly spent in public funds. In a letter to the city's insurance provider last month, the state auditor's office said that it believed Whitfield may have spent $956.67 in public money on his reelection campaign. Whitfield denied spending any public money on his campaign, but on Monday he announced on Facebook page that he had traveled back to Elyria — he now lives in Atlanta — and delivered a cashiers check for $956.67. The post included pictures of the check and of Whitfield dropping an envelope into a dropbox at Elyria City Hall used for payments to the city's Utilities Department. Whitfield said in the post that he maintained his stance that no public money was spent on his campaign, but that he wanted to "avoid any appearance of impropriety." "This action is not an admission of wrongdoing, but rather a reflection of my unwavering commitment to transparency and my deep belief that public trust is worth far more than any dollar amount," Whitfield wrote in the post. Elyria Finance Director Ted Pileski said during a City Council meeting on Monday that he had received the check. "I forwarded that information to the state auditor's office, so hopefully that will now be a closed matter," Pileski said. The letter that prompted Whitfield's check was sent by the office of state Auditor Keith Faber to Elyria's insurance provider, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, of Akron, on June 23. In the letter, the auditor said that his office had reason to believe Whitfield may have improperly used a city contracted vendor to produce content that was posted exclusively to his personal page between July 2022 and Dec. 31, 2023. The office estimated the alleged expenditure at $956.67. "The mayor used the city contract with (the contractor) to produce content for his personal social media account, which is outside the parameters of the intended contractual work," the letter said. The letter said that it was a notification of a potential finding for recovery, not a formal determination that any improper spending occurred or any illegal action was taken. It was a notification that Gallagher, along with Whitfield, may be held liable as the city's insurance provider if the auditor did issue a finding for recovery against Whitfield. Whitfield said in a statement to The Chronicle-Telegram on Wednesday that he had reviewed the footage posted to his campaign Facebook page and had determined that none of the videos used had been made by the city contractor. He also said that he had been informed of the initial complaint by the auditor's office in 2024 and had communicated with the office to "clarify the matter." In his Facebook post Monday, Whitfield said again that he had been committed to keep videography work done for his campaign separate from that which was done for the city itself. "I've reviewed the auditor's report and our campaign records," Whitfield wrote. "I do not believe there was any misuse of city resources, and I remain confident in how we conducted ourselves. That said, to avoid any appearance of impropriety, and to ensure this matter does not distract from the important work ahead, I'm addressing this directly and moving forward." In his post, Whitfield said that he expected to be cleared of any allegation of improper spending, but that he hoped the city would keep and spend the money anyway. "If the investigation concludes as I expect, with no findings of wrongdoing, my request is that the city apply these funds to support Elyria's residents," he said. "I gave everything I had to this city and I continue to want to see it succeed. I'll get my reward from Jesus." Whitfield declined to provide additional comment during a call Monday besides confirming he currently lives in Atlanta. He referred a Chronicle reporter to his statement on Facebook. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.