Associate Justice Andrew McDonald of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Courtesy photo

Connecticut's Criminal Justice Commission is accepting applications for a $163,292-a-year job, after former Litchfield State's Attorney David Shepack's Aug. 1 retirement.

The vacancy is the first for a state's attorney position since July, when Gov. Ned Lamont signed Senate Bill 880 to increase transparency in the selection of top prosecutors, according to the commission chairman, Connecticut Supreme Court Associate Justice Andrew McDonald.

As part of that effort for transparency, the commission will, for the first time, broadcast interviews with the final candidates on Connecticut Network, or CT-N, the state's government-access television network. It will also work to improve diversity.

"We will be reaching out to various bar associations, including the minority bar associations," McDonald said. "Historically, it's been pretty passive, in [the sense that] there's posts put up and you'd see who applied. This time, we are trying to be more proactive in outreach to underrepresented communities, to let them know that we encourage people to apply if they meet the qualifications."

The state's attorney job is open to Connecticut residents who've been lawyers for at least three years.

"The commission is completely dedicated to soliciting a broader array of applicants with criminal justice experience, whether they are noted practitioners or accomplished academics," McDonald said.

McDonald said the state has made "good progress" in hiring minorities as prosecutors, but the  office has had little turnover when it comes to the top job.

Of Connecticut's 13 state's attorneys, four are women, including Hartford State's Attorney Gail Hardy, who is black.

Kevin Kane, chief state's attorney and a member of the seven-person commission, will make recommendations on potential candidates to the full commission. Kane was not in the office Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

McDonald said the commission will rely heavily on Kane's input.

"He has such intimate knowledge of the system," McDonald said. "His recommendations are quite valuable."

Since Shepack's retirement, Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Dawn Gallo has been running the Litchfield office, which covers 22 towns in northwestern Connecticut.

The candidate hired for the post will serve until June 30, 2025, which would have been the end of Shepack's term.

The commission posted the job Tuesday, and the deadline for submitting applications is Sept. 10. For more information on applying, visit the Division of Criminal Justice portion of the state's website at www.ct.gov.