Wanda Geter-Pataky’s case is heading to trial rather than resolving through a plea. I respect that every defendant has the right to have their case heard, and I won’t comment further on the specifics of an ongoing legal matter — that is for the court, not for politicians, to decide.

What I can say is this: the last time Ms. Geter-Pataky was asked directly about her conduct, back in October 2023, she invoked her Fifth Amendment right 71 separate times rather than answer even the simplest questions. Nearly three years later, this trial may finally force a full accounting, in a court of law, of what happened to Bridgeport’s absentee ballots.

Bridgeport has already paid a heavy price for what happened in our elections, and this is not the first time. Three different Connecticut judges have thrown out Bridgeport Democratic primaries over absentee ballot irregularities — in 2017, in 2022, and again in 2023, when Judge Clark called the video evidence in that case ‘shocking.’

And the state has had to appoint and fund election monitors to watch over Bridgeport’s elections three separate times since 2017 — in 2017, 2020, and 2023 — because Bridgeport keeps failing to safeguard its own elections.

The city even commissioned its own investigation into Ms. Geter-Pataky’s conduct that led directly to her firing, and to this day the findings of that taxpayer-funded report have never been made public. Whatever the outcome of this trial, that pattern of damage to public trust is real, and it’s on all of us — candidates, party leaders, and residents alike — to make sure it never happens again.

The gravest injustice is the disenfranchisement of voter participation in Bridgeport elections. In the last two Democratic mayoral primaries, turnout fell from roughly 21 percent in 2019 to roughly 17 percent in 2023 — even as absentee ballots became a larger and more disputed share of the vote each time.

When a judge voids a primary because of mishandled absentee ballots in violation of state law, Bridgeport residents are not being irrational when they conclude their vote doesn’t count. That perception is earned, and it has consequences: fewer people showing up, fewer people believing their voice matters, and a shrinking electorate that makes it easier, not harder, for the next scheme to succeed.

If this trial finally produces a full accounting, it can be a first step toward rebuilding that trust and reversing years of declining participation. A trial does not undo a decade of judges voiding elections and absentee ballots deciding outcomes — restoring voter participation in Bridgeport elections will take sustained transparency and the passing of consequential election integrity reform legislation by the Connecticut legislature, not a single day in court.

Bridgeport is now heading into a November general election for governor, with absentee ballot voting beginning October 2. Should there be any controversies surrounding absentee ballots this fall, the sitting governor and our state legislators will only have to blame themselves for their lack of action to restore trust in Connecticut elections. No politician in Hartford – incumbent or challenger – is entitled to the votes of Bridgeporters. Anyone asking for our support will have to earn it by standing with our city, not with the corrupt political machine at City Hall. Bridgeport is tired of being taken for granted, especially by those who rush to endorse the status quo while our residents are still fighting for fair elections and real accountability.

And regardless of how this case concludes, one question remains unanswered: why is it always the low-level campaign workers who face felony charges, while the people who allegedly designed and directed these absentee ballot schemes, and who benefited most from them at the ballot box, have never been charged? I don’t think Bridgeport gets real justice until the people who gave the directives and issued the payments are held to the same standard as the people who carried them out.

This upcoming trial is another reminder of how important it is that every vote in Bridgeport be cast and counted honestly. I will always stand on the side of transparent, lawful elections where the people — not political machines — decide the outcome. .

What I can say today is this: I will continue to fight for the people of Bridgeport, and I welcome anyone who wants to join me in that effort. My focus right now is on continuing to stand up for fair elections, safer neighborhoods, better schools, and economic opportunity for every family in Bridgeport.

John Gomes is a former Bridgeport mayoral candidate who ran in the city’s 2023 Democratic primary and general election.