Mayor Mark Boughton said if he's elected as the state's next lieutenant governor, he would be a visible public official who keeps close ties with the legislature and municipalities. "Too often, people say they don't feel connected to the state government," Boughton, a former state legislator, said Wednesday during a meeting with the editorial board of The News-Times. "We are going to change that." Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley has already said Boughton's role as the state's second in command would be as liaison between the governor's office and the legislature. Foley has also said the 46-year-old Boughton would serve as the liaison between the administration and the state's towns and cities. In the past, the lieutenant governor's position has largely been a ceremonial role. "The problems faced by the state are so immense that no one person can do everything," Boughton said. "The times demand a lieutenant governor who will be engaged." Boughton, who taught social studies at Danbury High School for 14 years before entering politics, said that while it is the governor's role to set policy, he would work with the legislature and leaders of the General Assembly to move the governor's legislative agenda forward. "In the legislature, I'd like to think I had a reputation of working with both sides of the aisle and I think people know that," Boughton said. Boughton, who is serving his fifth term as Danbury's mayor, said that while he and Foley may differ on some issues, including abortion, his running mate doesn't want an administration filled with "yes" men. While Foley is pro-choice, Boughton's personal views are pro-life. However, Boughton said Wednesday he would not pursue a pro-life agenda while serving in Hartford. Boughton added that the "gorilla in the room" is the state's fiscal crisis and a looming budget deficit estimated at $3.5 billion that has to be addressed first. "My job will be to advocate the governor's positions," Boughton said. "But as an elected official, it's also to represent the people." As lieutenant governor, Boughton said, issues that he would advocate for include improving the state's transportation infrastructure and improving access to affordable housing. Boughton, who served as chairman of the governor's Blue Ribbon Commission for Housing and Economic Development in 2007, said he would prefer to see an incentive program where local towns could receive grants to offset the costs of affordable housing. Current affordable housing laws allow developers to "beat towns over the head with a stick" if at least 10 percent of their housing stock isn't considered affordable, Boughton said.