Republican Phil Bissett, who ran for county executive in 2002 and is seeking the office again next year, has been promoted to head the state's commuter and train system.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration elevated the 48-year-old Mayo resident to head MARC on Dec. 17, moving him from his spot as head of compliance and efficiency at the Motor Vehicle Administration.

Mr. Bissett said the commuter system hasn't experienced any serious problems in recent months, but was operating with an interim director.

"We are going to make sure it is safe and secure, and the trains run on time," Mr. Bissett said.

He heads an agency with trains that move 27,000 commuters a day and buses that make over 200 trips. His office will be in Baltimore.

This is the latest state job for Mr. Bissett, one of three likely GOP candidates for the county's top elected post in a wide open race.

Early in the Ehrlich administration, the former state delegate was named legislative liaison for the Department of Natural Resources. He moved to the MVA after a disagreement with Natural Resources Secretary Ron Franks.

Mr. Bissett will earn $92,081 at his new job at MARC, up from $80,000 a year at the MVA, according to a campaign spokesman.

Unrelated to his employment, Mr. Bissett announced on Monday that he has retained Annapolis-based consultant and pollster Patrick Gonzales to serve as his campaign adviser, as he gears up to run for county executive next year.

"We are going to use the Gonzales team's historical perspective and knowledge," Mr. Bissett said.

A member of the House of Delegates from 1991 to 1999, Mr. Bissett garnered 48 percent of
the vote when he ran in 2002 against incumbent county executive Janet S. Owens. Mr. Ehrlich received 65 percent of the vote countywide in the same election.

Mr. Bissett also announced last week that Diane Rey will serve as his campaign manager.

Ms. Rey said that Mr. Bissett's state employment will make him a better county executive.

"It will add to Mr. Bissett's broad-based government experience and increase his understanding of transportation issues, which are among the top concerns of Anne Arundel County residents," she said.

Ms. Rey headed We Hold Officials Accountable, or WHOA!, a community group that last year opposed turning part of the Smith equestrian farm off College Parkway into baseball and soccer fields.

Dennis Callahan, director of county recreation and parks, made the decision to build the controversial athletic fields on the property. The former Annapolis mayor is often mentioned as a Democratic candidate for the job, but has not announced a run.

Within his own party, Mr. Bissett will face GOP party attorney Dirk Haire of Annapolis and Del. John Leopold of Pasadena.

Mr. Leopold, 61, has raised about $348,000, which includes $263,000 he loaned his campaign, according to his a campaign report filed recently with the state Board of Elections.

Mr. Haire, 37, who has yet to file the report due next week, has raised about $220,000.

Ms. Rey declined to disclose the amount of money Mr. Bissett's campaign has raised ahead of Wednesday's deadline.

"Let me say this," she said. "The Bissett campaign has more money on hand today than it did in the entire campaign of 2002."

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ekelly@capitalgazette.com

Published January 16, 2005, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.Copyright © 2005 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.