Stonington — Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced Thursday that she has appointed borough resident Scott Bates as deputy secretary of the state effective Jan. 24.

Bates, who served as Virginia’s secretary of the commonwealth in 1993, will fill the term of James Spallone, who resigned to become general counsel to state Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz.

“This is a mission I believe in, protecting the integrity of our election system, making sure every vote and voice is heard and talking about civic engagement,” said Bates, who chairs Stonington’s Democratic Town Committee.

He said Thursday the post is a dream come true “for a kid who used to go to Town Hall” when growing up in Stonington because he was interested in government.

“This is a great honor,” he said. “When an opportunity comes up like this with a mission you believe in, you have to take it.”

Bates said he will continue to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Port Authority.

“It’s a very important commitment I took on, and I want to see it through to success,” he said.

In announcing Bates’ appointment on Thursday, Merrill said, “As the state’s chief elections official, my goals are to expand democratic participation, to ensure that every citizen’s rights and privileges are protected, that every vote is counted accurately and that every voice is heard. Scott Bates has a passion for these same issues that has taken him across five continents, working with people and parliaments to help make their voices heard. He will be a valuable addition to my office. I am honored that he has accepted this post.”

Bates has extensive experience in not only local, state and federal government but with homeland security issues and helping build democratic institutions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and Haiti.

After 9/11, he worked as the first senior policy adviser to the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee and was the principal author of “Winning the War on Terror,” which helped inform the 9/11 Commission as it developed its report. He also worked on national security issues as president of the Center for National Policy, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Closer to home, he has chaired the town’s Police Commission and served on the borough Board of Warden and Burgesses.

Because his homeland security and government work often took him overseas — he will be traveling to Burma to work with that country’s parliament before he begins his new job — Bates said he welcomed the chance to commute to Hartford each day. He lives in the borough with his wife, Lisa, and son, Jacob.

“I couldn’t be happier to spend more time in Connecticut and be home in Stonington each night,” he said.

j.wojtas@theday.com