By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Gov. Ned Lamont has appointed Councilwoman Katherine Tucker to serve on the state’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.
Tucker, a Democrat representing West Haven’s 7th District, is a board-certified advanced practice registered nurse and the clinical program director of outpatient programs at Yale New Haven Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center.
She was notified of her gubernatorial appointment in a Sept. 6 letter from Lamont.
“I have the honor and privilege to appoint you to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, as an individual representing municipalities, to serve a term ending on September 5, 2026, and until a successor is appointed and has qualified,” Lamont said in the one-page letter.
Tucker was recommended for the appointment by Mayor Dorinda Borer.
“I want to congratulate Councilwoman Tucker on her appointment by Governor Lamont,” Borer said. “Kathy has what it takes to properly advise this committee to ensure that Connecticut’s opioid settlement money flows to the communities that need it most. I know she will serve our state and our city well.”
Borer said the state and its municipal health departments are receiving the settlement money as part of a nationwide settlement reached with drugmakers and pharmaceutical companies for their roles in the national opioid crisis.
West Haven Health Director Maureen B. Lillis said her department will use its portion of the settlement money to fund the city’s overdose awareness campaign and to help stop opioid addiction in West Haven.
Tucker has been a nurse for three decades. She earned a doctorate in nursing practice from Sacred Heart University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Quinnipiac University.
A lifelong Westie, Tucker began her inaugural term on the City Council in March 2022 and has been a champion for health, education, social justice and equality.
Tucker was named West Haven’s African American Citizen of the Year in 2023 and is a former member of the city’s Board of Health.