Connecticut's top utility regulator is out after a tumultuous tenure marked by legal battles, fights over high electric bills and accusations that she lied to state lawmakers.

Marissa Gillett announced she will resign as head of PURA – the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority – one day after a top Republican called for an impeachment inquiry.

Despite the controversy surrounding her, Gov. Ned Lamont praised Gillett on Friday – and insisted that he never asked her to leave.

Gillett came to Connecticut six years ago promising to make utilities more accountable. When Tropical Storm Isaias hit, some customers waited 10 days to get the lights back on.

"This will make the seventh day," Danbury resident Walter Mish told News 12 Connecticut in August 2020. "It's been miserable."

After the storm, Gillett pushed for major reforms. Now, electric bills are more transparent, customers are paid for extended outages and rates will be based on how well utilities actually perform.

"Say their current duration of outages is 100 minutes a year. We'll say, 'We want a 5% improvement in that year-over-year," Gillett said in April 2023.

Connecticut electric rates remain some of the highest in the nation, and utilities have filed lawsuits accusing the PURA chair of making key decisions in secret. If the companies win, their rate cases could be re-opened.

"This has been a long time coming," said Connecticut House Republican leader Vin Candelora (R-North Branford). "We had a chairwoman that was mired in controversy, had some bias to the utility companies and really was so compromised that she shouldn't continue to serve."

Candelora called for an impeachment inquiry on Thursday, accusing the PURA chair of lying during her confirmation hearing about internal emails and text messages to key lawmakers.

During that hearing, Gillett accused utilities of launching a smear campaign against her.

"It's not just my work and integrity that has been questioned here, it is the work product of almost 80 staff who have committed their lives to public service," she told lawmakers on Feb. 20.

Gillett did not respond to an interview request on Friday, but supporters said electric companies targeted the PURA chair because she held them accountable.

"This is a sad day for Connecticut ratepayers and families," said the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. "It is alarming that so many Connecticut policy makers are beholden to Eversource and United Illuminating."

The PURA chair is stepping down on Oct. 10.

In her resignation letter, Gillett wrote: "The escalation of disputes into a cycle of lawsuits and press statements pulls attention and resources away from what matters most: keeping rates just and reasonable, improving service, and planning a resilient, reliable energy future."

Lamont, who just reappointed Gillett as PURA chair in June, insisted that he did not force her out.

"I did not," he told reporters. "We talked about it; we're good friends. I know she's been going through hell and back, you know? It's been tough. They're really going after her."

Lamont took heat earlier this year for a deal he made with Democratic lawmakers to keep Gillett on the PURA board, leading Senate Republicans to walk out of the vote.

Lamont said his focus now is on finding a new PURA chair who can repair relations with the utilities – but also get electric rates down.

"I can't make promises I can't keep," he said. "I can tell you that electric prices around the country are up 35%. I can tell you when Donald Trump shuts down Revolution Wind, that's going to jack up your electric prices."

Eversource and Avangrid declined to comment on Friday, but business leaders said it's an opportunity to address energy costs.

"Now is the time for utilities, the business community, policymakers, and regulators to come together and collaborate on sustainable solutions that will lower the cost of energy and develop the infrastructure to meet our long-term economic needs," said Chris DiPentima, president of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.

But the chair of the General Assembly's Energy and Technology Committee said her resignation is bad news for consumers.

"I am saddened that Chairwoman Gillett is stepping down from PURA," said state Sen. Norm Needleman (D-Essex). "I am thankful for her work to save Connecticut ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars."

Lamont declined to discuss possible replacements. He is still trying to fill two other empty seats on the PURA board.