The city’s Labor Relations Department on Wednesday notified Wanda Geter-Pataky of her employment termination following a lengthy review by a lawyer hired by the city after leaked video footage showed her placing absentee ballots into a drop box fronting the Margaret Morton Government Center during the 2023 mayoral primary.
Geter-Pataky was placed on paid administrative leave from her $65,000 yearly position following the fallout more than one year ago that received national attention. The city followed lawyer William Ryan’s recommendation for termination because it was determined she made numerous drops during city time.
Geter-Pataky, Democratic vice chair, is one of the the most popular fixtures in city politics so the city decided to farm out the investigation to the private labor attorney rather than handling it inhouse.
Geter-Pataky directed walk-in public traffic from the front desk of the government center on Broad Street.
This action is the first of its kind in a Connecticut municipal labor case. One of the go-to labor attorneys to often challenge the city on labor sanctions is former Mayor Tom Bucci, an option Geter-Pataky could pursue.
Ryan spent the better part of 2024 assembling a cadre of information related to the developments after the John Gomes for mayor campaign released leaked footage generated by the city’s operations center that placed cameras on all four city drop boxes.
As a unionized worker with decades of service in city government, Geter-Pataky was afforded her due process rights with evidence presented in person two weeks ago by officials and her opportunity to respond to the findings.
James Meszoros, president of the National Association of Government Employees, sat with her during the hearing but not an attorney, an option that was available to her.
Many close to Geter-Pataky argue she’s being singled out for things several others in both camps did in 2023, placing ballots into drop boxes. What occurred would be legal in 11 states, the harvesting of ballots, but Connecticut has strict regulations for the handling of absentees, limiting it generally to immediate family members, health aides, caretakers and police officers.
The flashpoint for Geter-Pataky, however, was her juxtaposition to the drop box, a short walk from her government desk while drops were made on city time, a violation of municipal job requirements, according the Ryan’s findings.
During last year’s court hearing that led a state judge to order a new Democratic primary won by Mayor Joe Ganim over Gomes, Geter-Pataky invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination represented by her lawyer John Gulash regarding the mishandling of ballots.
Dozens of complaints from the 2023 mayoral election have been filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission that has civil authority over campaigns. Those they feel have criminal investigative merit have been referred to state authorities for review.
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So OIB, who was arrested on the John Gomes campaign for placing ballots into drop boxes?
And if she pursues to challenge any sanctions from this city ,who pays for that?
The Taxpayers have been taking it on the chin for over a year now, let’s get this into court where it belongs!
The saga continues until all ” of the shoes drop”, doesn’t it?
The City decided that an outside attorney might bring less potential “political criticism” and local upset in the handling of the investigative research regarding ballot handling and municipal employee duties. Lawyer specialist William Ryan spent “the better part of 2024” assembling what OIB terms a “cadre” of information regarding Geter-Pataky’s municipal duties, while taxpayers continued to pay her compensation and benefits.
Ganim2 decided that the facts, so assembled, were persuasive to him. What is the legal outcome, if any, people wonder? As Jim Fox has asked above, “How much did the movement of legal investigation from the City legal department cost the City?” We ask, in addition to the salary and benefits continuation of Geter-Pataky, what did Clark’s work cost the City?”
The 5th Amendment to the Bill of Rights provides the opportunity for citizens to respond to instances where self-incrimination may present. “Taking the fifth” is often portrayed as protecting the guilty rather than as a rightful opportunity to defer an answer until circumstances where the weight of power is equally on the side of one citizen, neighbor, or worker as on the government itself.
We need more opportunity for CIVICS to be espoused, practiced, and instructed in the City. I will speak to this subject at the upcoming City Council comments on Monday November 4, 2024. Your voting, this year, especially, is an indicator of democratic practices. Time will tell.
Will Wanda continue to be a general,along with Castillo in the DTC AB operation?..
Harvey, Castillo and Geter Pataky canceled out my vote by cheating, and every Democrat should be flucking pissed off for it!
Jim,casting your vote in Bpt for a local election is literally going through the motions,Mario & the DTC decide months ahead of time who they want.Now with the early voting going on??,I don’t even want to think about what’s going on..Dam shame..
You have to feel a little bad for Wanda — especially since she is essentially being hung out alone to dry in the Bridgeport breeze…. She collected all of those ballots by herself and took it upon herself to dump them all at City Hall #2?!… Nobody else involved. No direction? No help? Nobody cognizant of the operation at top levels? Seems pretty unlikely…
Help out with the AB operation,and your reward is a $65,000,full benefits job..Not a bad deal if you’re ok throwing your integrity out the window I guess.