Lamont makes safe pick for secretary of the state

Gov. Ned Lamont took a safe path early Thursday, naming a recently retired, veteran state lawyer from North Haven with elections experience to fill the secretary of the state posi- tion for the next six months.

Mark F. Kohler will take the secretary of the state role effective July 11, succeeding Denise Merrill, who has held the post for 11⁄2 years and is stepping down effective noon Thursday to care for her ailing husband. Merrill, 73, had announced last year she would not seek re-election.

Kohler, a 1987 UConn law school graduate, was head of the special litigation unit from 2011 to 2021, serving under two attorneys general, George Jepsen and William Tong. That unit represents all state constitutional officers, the legislature, and the judiciary, covering, among other matters, election issues — a subject of frequent lawsuits.

In naming Kohler, Lamont hewed to the tradition of picking a non-controversial veteran professional to fill a short-term vacancy in a constitutional office — as he did at the end of 2021, when he named Natalie Braswell to succeed former Comptroller Kevin Lembo, who resigned due to a heart condition.

“Mark is an extraordinary public servant,” Lamont said Thursday. “He has been specializing in election law over that attorney general’s office for many, many years.”

“He had just taken a retirement and he agreed to stay on to help us for 6 months and to make sure we get through this primary, next election, the balloting, as smoothly as can be done,” he continued.

Kohler’s appointment comes one day after a political blogger and Hartford Courant columnist, Kevin Rennie, incorrectly named a different person as Lamont’s pick. The Courant retracted that story.

The secretary of the state position is the most hotly contested constitutional office in this year’s elections, with two candidates vying in the Democratic primary and three Republicans, all of them with significant credentials. Lamont made it clear he would not name a person with aspirations to run for the office.

The candidate who wins the seat in the November election would be sworn in on Jan. 4 under the political schedule laid out in the state Constitution.

Lamont also declined to name Scott Bates, Merrill’s top deputy, who has been the subject of controversy in his former role as chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority, due to cost overruns at the state pier in New London and other issues. The Republican state chairman, Ben Proto, had publicly warned Lamont not to name Bates.

It’s unclear whether Bates was ever under consideration. Lamont’s office said the candidate named by Rennie, Democratic Party insider Moriah Moriarty, was never under consideration.

Kohler retired earlier this year as an associate attorney general under Tong. Before the special litigation assignment, he headed the public utilities unit from 2009 to 2011 and the finance department from 2003 to 2009. In the early 1990s he was an associate at Shipman & Goodwin.

“He had just taken a retirement and he agreed to stay on to help us for 6 months and to make sure we get through this primary, next election, the balloting, as smoothly as can be done,” Lamont told reporters Thursday. “People don’t know if he’s a Republican or a Democrat.”

That’s code for, he’s an appointee who is not politically active in campaigns. For the record, the North Haven town clerk’s office said Kohler is registered as a Democrat.

“Mark is incredibly wellrespected as a level-headed, tactful, and experienced attorney who has a considerable understanding of Connecticut state statutes, particularly those concerning the operations of our elections and government administration,” Lamont said in a written release. “The circumstances surrounding the need to fill this vacancy are very unfortunate, but I am pleased that Mark has agreed to step away briefly from his retirement and return to state service. I am confident that this will be a smooth transition.”

“I am honored and humbled to be named by Governor Ned Lamont to serve out the remainder of this term and continue my public service on behalf of the people of the State of Connecticut,” Kohler said in the governor’s release. “I have the utmost respect, appreciation, and admiration for the work Denise Merrill accomplished in this role, and I look forward to working with her dedicated team of professionals to ensure that our elections are carried out in an accessible, fair, and transparent manner.”

Merrill, who was majority leader of the state House of Representatives before she won election for the constitutional office in 2010, issued a statement saying she was pleased with Kohler’s appointment.

“I am quite familiar with Mark’s work and stellar career in the Attorney General’s office, as well as his commitment to public service. I have every confidence he will make sure that all the important functions of our office, as well as our upcoming elections are handled fairly and with integrity.”

DAN HAAR