Putting focus on individuals who have influenced the value of Land and Commercial Real Estate in Frederick County, Maryland.
Well, if you haven’t noticed already, former county commissioner Kai Hagen is on the campaign trail … not sure that he ever really stopped campaigning after his 6th place showing in last November’s Frederick County Board of County Commissioners’ race.
He seems to have become the “Go to Guy” in the local press as the voice of the loyal opposition to the current board. Since his fall, he has freely accepted interviews on the local talk radio shows, and of course he offers up daily opinions on issues he considers relevant from the local to national levels on his “Kai Hagen, Politician” Facebook page, among other places.
Beginning with his campaign in 2006 through his Commissioner term, his ability to pontificate and relentlessly press his point became almost as legendary as Lennie Thompson’s style of bullying and intimidating.
This lead to his unique ability to burn bridges without even noticing the fire or smelling the smoke. The well covered rift between Hagen and former county director of Utilities & Solid Waste Management Michael G. Marschner is one example, but less covered was the general lack of respect he earned from a number of the key elected municipal leaders throughout the county.
Despite all that, the fact is Kai has built a strong and faithful following, and it is more than obvious to me that he is laying the ground work for a return to the political lime light. It is clear that he still thinks of himself as a strong and influential voice who can exact change in our county government. He proved that point over the last four years.
His passion to return to center stage has not been openly stated, but comes out in his commentary. Just a few days after his November defeat he posted a Facebook comment: “… I have no idea if I’ll ever run for office in Frederick County again. But, since I’m certainly not saying I won’t, I’d like to ask all of you to save your ‘Kai Hagen’ yard signs …”
I have to ask, if not a run in Frederick County, where else? Maybe he has grander plans … who knows. Does he still have that fire? Can he rally enough troops to regain an elected slot in county government again? I think he does on both counts.
With that stated, while I rarely find common ground with Kai on the issues, I’ve been trying to read the leaves of my green tea lately, and I see an announcement in the works for just about three years from now that he is back in the County Commissioner contest.
There is a lot of time between now and then, and many things can change the political landscape.
For one, Frederick Countians could be casting not only a vote for County Commissioners in November 2014, but also one for a form of Charter Government … that will likely make it more interesting.
** Update: One day after publishing this article, Mr. Hagen revealed his plans for the future by becoming the paid director of a new nonprofit Envision Frederick County which will place it’s focus on “public participation in civic issues.” Laying the groudwork, Indeed! It sure looks like he’s setting himself up for another another run for Winchester Hall! You can read the entire article in the Gazette by clicking this link.
The author: Rocky Mackintosh, President, MacRo, Ltd., a Land and Commercial Real Estate firm based in Frederick, Maryland. He also writes for TheTentacle.com, where this article is also found.