Groton — David F. Collard, general manager of utility finance for Groton Utilities and Bozrah Light & Power, retired this week after 45 years between Groton Utilities and Bozrah Light & Power, Groton City Mayor Keith Hedrick said.

"I thank him for his service and for what he has done as financial director here, and we wish him luck in the future," said Hedrick, who is also chairman of the Groton Utilities Commission.

With Collard’s retirement, Ron Yuhas, the finance director for the City of Groton, will oversee all finance operations for the city of Groton and Groton Utilities and Bozrah Light & Power, and the personnel that previously reported to Collard now will report to Yuhas, Hedrick said.

“We have implemented some organizational changes, and we hope to gain some efficiencies from these changes,” he said.

Ron Gaudet, director of utilities for Groton Utilities, said Collard worked in finance at Bozrah Light & Power when it was just a small company, an experience that few others have, and he came to Groton Utilities when GU bought Bozrah Light & Power in 1995. He said Collard will be "sorely missed."

Collard, a board member for Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative representing Bozrah Light & Power and as an alternate member representing Groton Utilities, will be replaced with two different members at meetings of the respective utility commissions, according to Hedrick.

Collard attended the trips to the Kentucky Derby hosted by CMEEC in 2015 and 2016, along with Theresa Collard, according to lists of attendees provided to The Day by CMEEC. The trips, along with another CMEEC board retreat to a West Virginia golf resort in October 2015, were the focus of a two-year FBI investigation that led to indictments of five CMEEC officials. Collard was not named in the indictments.

Hedrick said Collard is eligible to retire, and the retirement has nothing to do with the Kentucky Derby trips.

Day Staff Writer Claire Bessette contributed to this report.

k.drelich@theday.com