The Criminal Justice Commission has chosen two longtime career prosecutors to fill interim and permanent vacancies at the Litchfield Judicial District and the Office of the Chief State's Attorney.

The commission chose prosecutor Dawn Gallo over four other candidates to replace David Shepack as the state's attorney for the Litchfield Judicial District. Shepack retired in August and the 55-year-old Gallo was his longtime top deputy. Her term expires in 2022, when she will be up for reappointment.

Commissioners also selected 54-year-old Glastonbury resident John Russotto, the deputy chief state's attorney for the past 15 years, to become the acting chief state's attorney, effective Nov. 1 when longtime chief state's attorney Kevin Kane steps down. Russotto will stay in the post until a new chief state's attorney is chosen.

It's not clear if Russotto plans to apply for the chief state's attorney post because the job will not be posted until Oct. 22, Associate Supreme Court Justice and Criminal Justice Commission Chairman Andrew McDonald said.

McDonald said both Gallo and Russotto bring years of experience and a lot of dedication to their new roles. He said the seven-member commission noted the history of public service by Gallo, an East Hartford resident.

"They were impressed with her long-term service already within the district, her relationship with the stakeholders within the legal community and community at large and her extensive experience trying very hard and complicated cases." McDonald told the Connecticut Law Tribune Monday. "It will be interesting to see if she takes the office in a new or different direction than Mr. Shepack."

Of Russotto, McDonald said, "John is a longtime deputy chief state's attorney in charge of administration and finance, and is well positioned to carry on the role as chief state's attorney in the interim until a selection is made for a new chief state's attorney."

In his current role, Russotto oversees the human resources and budgetary operations of the division, McDonald said.

Neither Gallo nor Russotto responded to a request for comment.

Gallo is "an experienced trial attorney and has tried many significant cases in Litchfield, including murder cases," said Jim Hirschfield, a partner with the Litchfield offices of Cramer & Anderson.

Hirschfield has known Gallo professionally for about 20 years.

"She is well-respected by the Litchfield Bar Association," he said. "She has great integrity, is fair and is aggressive when she needs to be to protect the interests of the people. The members of the bar association are all very happy she was elevated to this position."

With regard to Russotto, former prosecutor and current Cohen & Wolf attorney Susan Filan said: "He is a career prosecutor, seasoned, even-tempered and evenhanded. He will provide ballast during the transition."

Connecticut, which is comprised of 169 towns, has 13 judicial districts and 13 state's attorneys.

Related stories: