Lee County's leave policy leaves same-sex couple in the lurch

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Written by: Melanie Payne

Patty Chafatelli and Bonnie Bahr were married last year in Washington. Saturday was their one-year anniversary. What should have been a happy day was marred by grief. The two Cape Coral women were in New Jersey, making final arrangements for Chafatelli's mom Dorothy who died Oct. 10.

Bahr, who works for Lee County, has missed a week of work. And she needs to stay longer because the wet weather delayed the scheduled burial in the family plot in New Jersey, as Dorothy had wished.

Bahr had used her vacation time to go with Chafatelli. When she called her supervisor in the Parks and Recreation Department, she discovered she was out of options for more time.

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