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Gov. Larry Hogan will name Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Paul W. Comfort the new administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration on Friday.
Staff within the Maryland Department of Transportation was informed of the impending hire in an email Thursday from Transportation Sec. Pete K. Rahn that was obtained by The Daily Record.
“I believe Paul will be a great asset to our team because he understands transit’s important role to supporting economic development and job growth across the State,” Rahn wrote in the email. “I am confident Paul’s proven track record in transit operations will be key to delivering better customer service to all our riders.”
The announcement comes nearly week after the departure of Robert Smith, who served as administrator under former Gov. Martin J. O’Malley.
On Thursday, it was announced that Melinda B. Peters, the first woman to lead the State Highway Administration, had abruptly resigned, effective immediately.
Both agencies are within the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Comfort, an attorney with 28 years experience in public transit and government, also serves as the assistant project manager and director of operations for MV Transportation and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s MetroAccess Service.
Prior to that he oversaw public transit operations for private-sector transit companies and for local governments in his role as county administrator for Charles and Queen Anne’s counties. He also worked for 16 years as a radio personality, according to his online resume.
Comfort is expected to start in his new position on May 11.
