Bissett quit MARC job; violated Hatch Act

After his first inept campaign for County Executive of Anne Arundel County against Janet Owens in 2002, Phil Bissett was appointed to serve as Director of Maryland's MARC Train System by Governor Bob Erlich. He served in this appointed position from 2004 until until May 17, 2005. Bissett was forced to step down after a legal opinion from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel that he was violating Federal Law. Bissett's campaign for a second try to be County Executive while serving as an employee of a Federally-funded program violated the Federal Hatch Act. The opinion held that he could not continue in the rail job, which involves handling $30 million a year in Federal grants, and run for County Executive. Bissett pondered his options from May 3 to May 17, 2005, before resigning to avoid disciplinary action.

"We understand . . . that you (Bissett) have substantial control over directing the flow of federal funding to capital projects, determining which projects are to be completed, and prioritizing those projects," Ana Galindo-Marrone, then-chief of the Hatch Act unit in the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, said in a May 3, 2005 letter to Bissett. This letter "serves as notice," she wrote, "that your current candidacy for Anne Arundel County Executive is in violation of the Hatch Act."

Candidate Quits Job To Avoid Conflicts as reported in The Washington Post.

Md. official quits to run for Arundel executive as reported in The Baltimore Sun.

Bissett quits state job to stay in race for county executive as reported in The Annapolis Capital.

"His (Bissett's) tenure has been a waste of taxpayers' money by any objective standard," Leopold said at the time. And it has to be conceded that no one can point to any real accomplishments by Bissett during his tenure at MARC except preparing to run for office and violating the Federal Hatch Act.

Don't we deserve someone on the County Council from District 7 that has a sense of ethics and the judgment to know if he might be acting legally and ethically? We deserve better in Anne Arundel County!