HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he will appoint Michael P. Walsh, mayor of the Town of East Hartford, to serve as chair of the State Contracting Standards Board when the leadership role becomes vacant following the anticipated resignation of Lawrence Fox.
Fox, who has served as chair since 2018, announced during a board meeting this morning that he is planning to step down from the position in September.
Walsh, who earlier this summer announced that he will not seek re-election as mayor this fall, will begin serving on the board effective in November following the conclusion of his term and the inauguration of a new mayor. The members of the State Contracting Standards Board will soon vote on the appointment of an acting chair from among its members, who will serve in the leadership role in a temporary capacity during the interim weeks between Fox’s resignation and Walsh’s appointment.
“The residents of our state rely on the State Contracting Standards Board to ensure that all government procurement is being handled in the most efficient, effective, and open manner possible, and Larry Fox has carried out his responsibilities as the group’s chair in a commendable and professional manner,” Governor Lamont said. “I appreciate the oversight he has provided and the efforts he has taken to strengthen the involvement this board has in our state government, and I thank him for the time and dedicated commitment he has given to our state. Mayor Mike has been intimately involved in the operations of town and state government for many years, not only through his role as mayor but also as a town finance director and a state strategic initiatives and accountability officer. He’s also worked as an accountant for one of our nation’s largest insurance companies and for a local public accounting firm. I trust that he will do well as the board’s chair.”
“It has been my honor to serve as the chair of the board for the past five years,” Fox said. “Our volunteer board has worked tirelessly and with recent funding support from the legislature and the governor, I am confident the board is well positioned to fulfill its mission of ensuring fair and transparent procurement in our state.”
Walsh has served as mayor since November 8, 2021. Prior to that, he served from 2019 to 2021 as undersecretary of strategic initiatives and accountability for the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, and from 1998 to 2019 as finance director for the Town of East Hartford. Before working for the town, he served for 11 years as the assistant director of financial reporting at Cigna. He also worked for six years as an accountant at a local public accounting firm.
“I thank Governor Lamont for the opportunity to continue my involvement in government in this role on the board,” Walsh said. “In every position I’ve served, my priority is to bring good government, which I define as the delivery of efficient and effective policies, procedures, and practices that demonstrate to the public that their government operates in a transparent manner, instilling confidence along the way. Delivering good government in this manner had served me and the agencies I’ve worked for well over the 40 years I’ve been involved, so everyone should expect the same from me in this role on the board.”
The State Contracting Standards Board consists of 14 members who are appointed by the governor and the leaders of the General Assembly. The group is responsible for providing oversight related to all matters associated with state procurement. Membership on the board are volunteer positions.
