Stamford senator to resign, take position with state’s DOT

Sen. Carlo Leone, a veteran state lawmaker from Stamford, will resign from his position to take on a new job in Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration.

The 57-year-old Democratic legislator, who served more than three terms in the state House of Representatives before winning the 27th Senate District in a 2011 special election, will work at the Department of Transportation, he said in a written statement. Hearst Connecticut Media reported Leone will serve as a special adviser to DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti.

“I have been blessed to have had the opportunity of a lifetime to serve in both the House and Senate, and it has been a true honor to serve my constituents, city and state,” he said in a statement.

While it’s unclear what specific duties Leone will have, Lamont suggested he will play a role in coordinating the state’s efforts to obtain federal transportation funding.

“I have a feeling that transportation and infrastructure is going to be a big piece of what you see in Washington over the course of the next, say, four years. And I want to make sure that Connecticut is ready. I want to make sure that we have our strategy in place. We have our design and build plans ready to go,” Lamont said.

Leone was reelected to his Senate seat in November. His resignation will take effect by the close of business on Tuesday. Lamont then has 10 days to order a special election, which must be held on the 46th day after the writ is issued.

Leone has served in recent years as co-chair of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee and vice-chair of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee. He has been supportive of tolls, including Lamont’s most recent plan for truck-only tolls, as a way to help generate revenue to fix the state’s roads and bridges.

But it’s questionable whether the issue of tolls will reemerge this year. In February, a frustrated Lamont called for a pause on a planned vote for truck-only tolls after repeated delays from lawmakers.

An Air Force veteran, Leone earned an MBA from Sacred Heart University. He was employed at Xerox Corp. for 17 years. More recently, he has been the program manager at The WorkPlace, an organization that helps homeless veterans in Fairfield County.