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John K. Phoebus today announced his candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates for District 38A, which represents Somerset County and part of Wicomico County. Phoebus, a Crisfield attorney, stated that he would file with the State Board of Elections this week. He will seek the Republican nomination for the House of Delegates.
Phoebus’s announcement follows Delegate D. Page Elmore’s announcement on June 19, 2010 that he will withdraw as a candidate due to health issues. Like Delegate Elmore Phoebus, has a strong interest in preserving the rights of local watermen and farmers. He intends to be their watchdog in Annapolis to ensure that they can continue to earn their livelihood on the land and the Bay. Phoebus also intends to be a strong advocate for small and family‐owned businesses on the lower Shore.
Phoebus has been encouraged to run for this position by leaders and residents of both Somerset and Wicomico Counties. “I am both humbled and honored by the faith and confidence that the citizens have placed in me by asking me to run. Both Republicans and Democrats have strongly encouraged the path that I have chosen. As a business owner and as an attorney, I will bring much‐needed business experience to Annapolis, where too many of the elected legislators are out of touch with the needs and concerns of families and small businesses.”
Phoebus, 38, is a native of Crisfield, Maryland, where he resides and maintains a law practice that serves individuals and businesses in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties on the lower shore. His litigation practice has exposed him to the problems of watermen, farmers and small businesses. “Hearing about the problems of these groups has concerned me since I started my law career. It is important for the lower Shore to have a strong voice in Annapolis to look out for the interests of its residents.” Phoebus is equally upset by the 20% sales tax increase and its effect on the families who are struggling to make ends meet. He intends to fight for the repeal of this unnecessary tax.
Phoebus graduated from Crisfield High School in 1990 and received his Bachelor’s degree from Washington College in Chestertown in 1994. He graduated from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1997. Following law school he resided in Wicomico County for six years and began his professional career with the Salisbury litigation firm of Anthenelli & Otway. He opened his Crisfield practice in 2001.
Phoebus is president of the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Wor‐Wic Community College Foundation, and serves on the board of directors of Coastal Hospice. He is a past member of the Somerset County Economic Development Commission and the board of directors of Hudson Health Services. In 2003 Governor Robert L.
Ehrlich, Jr. appointed him to serve on the Governor’s Commission to Study the Structure and Efficiency of State Government whose mission was to streamline government agencies to improve efficiency of government services and to reduce waste.
Politically, Phoebus has served on the Somerset County Republican Central Committee and is a past president of the Somerset Republican Club. Presently, he is Somerset County’s director to elect Robert Ehrlich governor.
He is a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Marion Station, Maryland.