HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Gov. Ned Lamont has picked a retired official from the state attorney general's office to serve as Connecticut's secretary of the state for the next six months. The Democratic governor announced Thursday that he will appoint Mark Kohler, of North Haven, to complete the term of Denise Merrill. Merrill is resigning Thursday to care for her husband, who has Parkinson's disease. Kohler will take office July 11 and serve until January, when the next secretary of the state will be sworn in following the November election. Lamont cited Kohler's 30 years of leadership in the attorney general's office and his knowledge of election laws.