City Service Commissioners uphold discharge of accounting manager in fraud-related case

The Board of City Service Commissioners voted Nov. 18 to deny the discharge appeal of Christopher Wante, the comptroller's office accounting manager, upholding a department termination that followed a multimonth string of emails about a vendor fraud scheme.

The vote followed a resumed appeal hearing in which witnesses, documentary exhibits and argument were heard. Commissioners polled publicly and, after deliberating in closed session, found by a preponderance of the evidence that the department had cause to discipline and to discharge Wante; the board also voted to waive the city's one-year waiting period so he may apply immediately for open competitive positions.

Why it matters: The case centered on whether Wante's failure to escalate or investigate repeated email warnings about a compromised vendor account contributed to a later fraud that resulted in substantial city losses. The department…