Veteran Stamford senator will take job with Lamont administration

Newly reelected Sen. Carlo Leone of Stamford will not take the oath of office next week and instead will join Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration as a special adviser to state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti.

Leone, an Air Force veteran who first served in the House for more than three terms before joining the Senate after a special election in 2011, said Thursday night that he is eager to start a new chapter in public service.

“An opportunity has presented itself to join the administration,” said Leone, 57, a Democrat who in recent years has been the co-chairman of the Transportation Committee. “I’ll miss the legislature, which has given me a lot of rewarding, great experiences, but I’m looking forward to a new chapter.”

Leone was a solid supporter of Lamont’s plan for trucks-only tolls on state highways, a plan that the governor withdrew last February amid bipartisan opposition in the General Assembly. In a phone interview, he said that with the state’s dedicated fund for transportation infrastructure scheduled to go broke by 2024, keeping it afloat at a time of diminishing gas taxes and the rise of electric cars, is a major challenge.

With Democrat Joe Biden scheduled to take the oath of the presidency on Jan. 20, the Lamont administration expects much more direct communication with Washington. As special assistant, Leone will troubleshoot issues for Giulietti and will likely lean on his relationships with other state lawmakers.

“There is still a lot to accomplish,” said Leone, who was born in Italy. “We still have to get money into transportation. It’ll be kind of weird to be on the other side, but we still have the needs. Serving in the legislature and being a senator from Stamford has been an honor.”

While it may be too soon to figure out who might seek to replace Leone, who crushed Republican Eva Maldonado in the November election, fellow state lawmakers from Stamford delegation include Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, Rep. Dan Fox, Rep. David Michel, Rep. Caroline Simmons and Rep. Matt Blumenthal.

“I have a very strong delegation with great colleagues and any number of them could step in,” said Leone, who in addition to leading the Transportation Committee, is the vice chairman of the tax-writing Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee.

While in the General Assembly Leone helped revamp the mediation process in foreclosures; helped write legislation to offer tax credits to the film industry. Upon his return from six years in the military, Leone worked at Xerox Corp. for 17 years. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Sacred Heart University.