BRIDGEPORT – The court case alleging Mayor Joe Ganim’s campaign operatives illegally handled absentee ballots resumed on Tuesday at Superior Court in Downtown Bridgeport.

Tuesday’s hearing marked day 4 in the court battle where attorney Bill Bloss of Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder PC representing mayoral candidate John Gomes is seeking to overturn the September 12, Democratic Primary. Gomes won the election at the polls but ultimately lost to Mayor Joe Ganim by 251 questionable absentee ballots. Ganim was called to the stand and testified on Tuesday.

During his hour-long testimony, Mayor Joe Ganim attempted to distance himself and his campaign from city employee and vice chair of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee, Wanda Geter-Pataky and former city council member and current candidate, Eneida Martinez. Both women appear in multiple video surveillance clips allegedly stuffing stacks of absentee ballots into Drop Boxes. State law makes clear that “only the voter’s immediate family member or caregiver may assist the voter,” and instructs campaigns that no one should take possession of a ballot or deliver a completed ballot. According to Ganim, Wanda Geter-Pataky is simply a volunteer canvasser for his campaign and he’s never had a conversation with her about absentee ballots. He also claimed that he couldn’t positively identify Eneida Martinez in the video footage. When asked by Bloss if both he and Martinez were running together as part of his slate, Ganim conceded that he supported Martinez’s candidacy but said he wasn’t sure if that constituted an “endorsement.” Unlike Martinez, Ganim did positively identify Wanda Geter-Pataky saying under oath, “I believe that is her. It looks like her.”

Wanda Geter-Pataky, center, arrives at Superior Court in Bridgeport on Friday, Oct. 13, to testify in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Mayor Joe Ganim’s primary over John Gomes. Former councilwoman Eneida Martinez is at right. SHAHRZAD RASEKH / CT MIRROR

Wanda Geter-Pataky and Eneida Martinez through their lawyer invoked their 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination [on] Friday rather than answer questions in court about allegations of illegal ballot box stuffing. 

Bloss entered into evidence and played a 19-minute compilation video that spliced together images of several people placing ballots into drop boxes. Wanda Geter-Pataky and Eneida Martinez aren’t the only people easily identifiable in the surveillance footage. It appears that City Council woman Samia S. Suleman of the 138th District and Councilman Alfredo Castillo of the 136th District are both caught making absentee ballot “drops” to the Ballot Drop Boxes. 

Also during Friday’s proceedings, the absentee ballot head moderator for the September 5th primary testified that absentee ballots that did not have the Town Clerk’s signature stamp on them should not have been counted. Bloss the day before had also questioned Bridgeport’s Registrar of Voters about the same issue and she testified that she was unaware of the Secretary of the State requirement that the outside envelopes containing absentee ballots must have a stamp with the signature of the town clerk.

Mayor Joe Ganim, who appeared in court on Tuesday as a witness, is also a named defendant in this case. Attorney Bloss questioned Ganim repeatedly about why he chose not to file an appearance as a defendant. By showing up only as a witness it means – in part – that Ganim and his lawyers did not have to file an official written response to the allegations. Bloss contended that Ganim knew that the video surveillance footage was too overwhelming to contend with – unlike 2019 in the Lazar v. Ganim absentee ballot case – where there was no video footage when Ganim did file an appearance and defended his position in court. 

Christine Bartlett-Josie, John Gomes’ campaign manager also took the stand on Tuesday. She testified that through her calculations approximately 1,255 ballots were put into the Drop Boxes while there were only 420 discrete approaches to the boxes. That calls into question the validity of at least 835 absentee ballots. 

It’s anticipated that Attorney Bloss will conclude Gomes’ side of the case on Thursday and Defense Attorneys – paid for by Bridgeport tax payers – for the Bridgeport Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters will begin presenting their side of the case. If you would like a first hand look at all of the exhibits available to the public in this case, call 860-757-2270.