The Maryland Environmental Service has appointed Jack A. Gullo Jr. as deputy director, giving New Windsor's former mayor and current councilman statewide responsibilities for water and wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and dredge containment and recycling facilities.

"This is an outstanding organization and to be selected deputy director is an honor for me," said Gullo, 33. "I want to help in whatever way I can."

Gullo, an attorney who two years ago was president of the Maryland Municipal League, has the background, experience and contacts that made him an ideal candidate for the job, said James W. Peck, director of the environmental service.

"Gullo is an ideal choice for this job," Peck said. "His natural ability to identify the needs of a town or county will be a great asset. More than half our work is with local government, and Gullo has proven his skills at working with those people. He has the contacts and will be a great liaison."

The service, an independent state agency with 500 employees, works with local, state and federal governments to ensure environmental standards are met and maintained. Peck said he was well-acquainted with Gullo's municipal league work and his efforts on behalf of New Windsor, where the environmental service oversees the operation of the wastewater treatment plant.

Gullo served recently on Gov. Parris N. Glendening's sewer task force, a panel charged with determining how to finance the state's $5 billion sewer-infrastructure problems.

"We have taken the first steps to get a handle on costs and the exact areas where improvements are needed," Gullo said. "We are preparing documents for federal intervention."

A graduate of Washington and Jefferson College near Pittsburgh and Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pa., Gullo was twice elected mayor of New Windsor, a town of 1,200, and oversaw its first major housing developments in nearly 50 years.

During his 12-month tenure with the municipal league, Gullo traveled to more than 150 towns and met with local officials. He also was president of the Maryland Mayors' Association.

"Nine years in elected office, my lobbying background, my work with cities and counties, all the things I have done to this point make me ideally suited for this job," Gullo said. "This is an opportunity I cannot turn down both for my own professional growth and for the benefit of the citizens of Maryland."