Lamont taps Boughton to lead state infrastructure planning
Gov. Ned Lamont has designated state tax commissioner and former Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton as his senior infrastructure adviser.
Boughton, the state Department of Revenue Services commissioner, will coordinate multiple agencies to administer funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Lamont’s office said Thursday.
Connecticut is expected to receive about $6 billion of the $1 trillion in allocations. Those funds will go toward transportation improvements, internet access and other initiatives.
While serving as Lamont’s senior adviser, Boughton will remain the state’s tax commissioner. Boughton was the mayor of Danbury for nearly 20 years before he resigned to become the tax commissioner in 2020.
“My experience as a mayor and commissioner have shown me the importance of whole-government collaboration, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and other stakeholders across the state to address infrastructure needs, create good-quality jobs, and position Connecticut to make the most of this historic allocation of funds,” Boughton said.
Lamont said Boughton’s work will help transcend various state departments.
“He’s going to be my special adviser to help tie all this together, so over the next five years, we don’t have 150 different small programs going on,” Lamont said in Meriden Thursday. “It ties together so we can make a transformative difference going forward.”
He added that Boughton’s knowledge of local and state governments will provide a “unique and necessary perspective that I know will be successful as we put these federal dollars to work from this historic bipartisan legislation.”
While Boughton was mayor, he renamed Danbury’s sewage plant after comedian John Oliver. The “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” host poked fun at the Connecticut city, prompting the name change.
“I’m a former mayor before I did this job, so I know how important sewer plants are,” Boughton said Thursday in a tongue-incheek remark. “You should not dismiss a sewer plant ever.”
“Us mayors, we get it,” he continued. “You may think that it’s just crap in there. But we know that’s money. That’s money in the bank that’s going through these pipes, so any time you can improve them and enhance them, that’s good for everybody.”