Dean Meyer, a former Democratic state senator who ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer this year, has been hired as director of North Dakota's Racing Commission.

The five-member commission regulates horse racing in North Dakota. Commissioners voted Monday to hire Meyer after interviewing him and another finalist for the position, Chad Holtz, a Minnesota stockbroker.

Meyer, who ranches near Dickinson, has experience breeding and raising horses, and has long been active in North Dakota's horse industry. He also writes a humor column for North Dakota weekly newspapers.

As a state senator, Meyer sponsored legislation that made pari-mutuel betting on horse races legal in North Dakota. Meyer served in the Senate for a decade, leaving after the 1991 Legislature.

Meyer ran for North Dakota treasurer this year, losing to Republican Kelly Schmidt. During his campaign, Meyer suggested bringing the Racing Commission under the treasurer's jurisdiction, an idea Schmidt opposed.

The Racing Commission is part of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem's office, although the commission members are independently appointed by the governor. The agency has its offices in a Bismarck building used by the attorney general's civil litigation division.

Meyer, 55, succeeds Paul Bowlinger, who left the job in October to become director of the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Association. It is one of two major national organizations that regulate horse racing.