The overseers of the boardwalk empire have picked John Palmieri, former head of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), as the new chief of the agency charged with reinvesting portions of casino gaming revenue into economic development initiatives across New Jersey.

As executive director of the state’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), Palmieri, who started the job Oct. 30, will be charged with identifying investment projects and engaging municipalities in the process.

Sources told Banker & Tradesman this past week that Palmieri was named to the post with an eye toward reinvesting more of the millions of dollars in gaming revenue generated by Atlantic City’s casinos into Atlantic City projects.

Palmieri left the BRA in May after four years leading the city’s development arm. His time at the BRA was marked by promising successes and still-glaring failures. Under Palmieri’s watch, planning and permitting was started on projects at One Marina Park Drive and Atlantic Wharf, and discussions were begun on future policy of development along the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

But he may be forever haunted by the ghost of promises passed, especially the ghost of the demolished Filene’s building and a costly, and ultimately fruitless, years-long battle to build Columbus Center over the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Palmieri’s appointment ends the CRDA’s national search for someone to head the agency, which was given purview over planning and development decisions in Atlantic City’s Tourism District in April. That area includes the boardwalk and casinos, the beach, and downtown retail and entertainment districts, according to reports.

No one from the CRDA was available to comment on the appointment at press time.