Old Saybrook ― David Kooris, chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority’s Board of Directors and the public face of the often-controversial State Pier reconstruction project, resigned his leadership post on Tuesday but will remain a board member.

Kooris’ announcement came at the conclusion of the board’s regularly scheduled meeting in Old Saybrook that also marked the last meeting for interim Executive Director Ulysses B. Hammond before his retirement on Friday.

Paul Whitescarver, a retired U.S. Navy submarine captain and executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, was selected by the port authority board to succeed Kooris as chairman.

“I’m excited to take the helm of the Authority’s Board to invest in the infrastructure so crucial to the State’s blue economy,” Whitescarver said, in a news release. “I commend David Kooris for his hard work these last five years and thank him for continuing to work with us as a continuing member of our Board.”

Kooris, who in July was named executive director of the newly established Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority, was alternately praised and pilloried during a five-year tenure that included an acting chairman appointment in 2019 that led to his re-appointment in 2020 by Gov. Ned Lamont.

“I put my confidence in David Kooris when I took office and the Port Authority needed a new direction,” Lamont said in a prepared statement. “He delivered what I and the public asked of him, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his volunteer service.”

Kooris said the combination of a new job and his tenure as board leader led to his decision.

“It’s been five years and that’s enough,” he said. “The major goals I set out to accomplish have been completed, whether repositioning the authority’s policies and procedures or the work at (State Pier.) I’m not leaving the board ― at least until the end of the year, though I might stay on further.”

Kooris was lauded for his role in transforming New London’s State Pier into an offshore wind assembly terminal but was also a frequent target of project opponents and lawmakers angered over cost overruns, ethics fines and a criminal investigation.

The Danish alternative energy company Ørsted, in collaboration with Eversource Energy, already has completed its first State Pier wind turbine project, South Fork Wind, and has begun its second, the 65-turbine Revolution Wind project.

Huge overruns sent project costs spiraling from an initial estimate of $93 million to more than $300 million, and the port authority itself was under investigation for a series of questionable inside deals that Attorney General William Tong determined earlier this year were not part of a broader criminal conspiracy.

The port authority issued a news release that said Kooris “inherited an agency that had been wracked by criticism for the handling of its operations and several instances of questionable spending and ethical lapses,” but worked with the state Office of Policy and Management to overhaul internal rules.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Kooris noted the authority finished last year with a $2.1 million operating surplus while Hammond announced the last few items on the State Pier reconstruction punch list are slated to be complete next month.

The port authority has had three consecutive audits by state and independent auditors that found no problems.

Praising “bone-deep” commitment

Tuesday’s meeting turned into an extended farewell for Hammond, who was appointed interim executive director by the board in 2022. State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, presented an emotional Hammond with a General Assembly citation praising the former Connecticut College administrator for his years of public service.

A similar proclamation was presented by Norwich City Council President Pro Tempore Joseph DeLucia, who said the city was deeply appreciative of Hammond’s “bone-deep” commitment to his job and his efforts in helping secure a $1.5 million Small Harbor Improvements Projects grant for new handicap accessible fishing docks at Howard T. Brown Memorial Park.

Hammond, who at times wiped away tears while praising his staffers, said it was his “pleasure and honor” to have played a role in the State Pier transformation.

Hammond and Kooris spoke of a partnership they said was based on mutual respect and complementary personalities. Kooris conceded Hammond came on during an unsettled period for the authority.

“And I’m sure it looked a little unnerving from the outside,” Kooris said.

j.penney@theday.com