Decision About City Employee’s Role In Drop-Box Controversy To Be Announced Within Days

She enjoys supporters, she faces detractors and now after more than one year on paid administrative leave from her $65,000 yearly position following leaked surveillance video showing her placing absentee ballots into a drop box fronting the Margaret Morton Government Center during the 2023 mayoral primary, a recommendation has been made by New Haven-based labor attorney hired by the city about Wanda Geter-Pataky’s future employment with the city.

The lawyer William Ryan has spent the better part of 2024 assembling a cadre of information related to the developments that generated national news 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.

For years Geter-Pataky directed walk-in public traffic from the front desk of the government center on Broad Street, a position that comes under the umbrella of the city’s Health Department where she worked for many years. It’s likely that Health Director Elizabeth Rivera-Rodriguez will notify her of the disciplinary outcome, possibly within the next week, according to sources.

As a unionized worker with decades of service in city government, Geter-Pataky has been afforded her due process rights with evidence presented in person last week 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. How she responded to the allegations are key to the decision whether validating or opposing the charges.

Geter-Pataky is one of the most popular figures in city politics, vice chair to Democratic leader Mario Testa, with an effervescent personality and reliable party worker. Many close to her 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 was her juxtaposition to the drop box, a short walk from her government desk and if those politicking drops were made on city time, a violation of municipal job requirements. The time stamps of the numerous videos involved are key parts of the findings, as well as if they were considered brazen acts.

The report presented to Geter-Pataky, under the terms of the personnel investigation, cannot be made public by the city. Only she is allowed to do that.

The city, perhaps through the City Attorney’s Office, will issue bottom line conclusions of the probe, but not the report.

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.

The Geter-Pataky municipal case is a comparative outlier. This is the first of its kind in a Connecticut municipal labor case so whatever sanctions are issued by the city stand on their own with no other case pointer to compare, if Geter-Pataky challenges the decision.