He says he is “exactly the right person at the right time”
Frederick, MD (KB) Kai Hagen has announced he’s running for Frederick County Executive in 2022.
“I’m running for a lot of different reasons,” he said. “I think that we’re at a critical time in the county — there’s a lot of things that we love about this place that we want to preserve and protect.”
While there are things he thinks the county is doing well, Hagen said there is room for improvement in other aspects.
“We’re faced with challenges in technology, global marketplace, environmental concerns, climate change, racial equity, social justice,” he explained.
One challenge he noted specifically was rapid continuous growth in the county. He said this will always present a broad range of important choices and could be the kind of problem the county would like to have, if it is handled properly.
Hagen said he thinks he is the right person at the right time to provide leadership to the county.
“I have the combination of very extensive experience throughout Frederick County,” he explained. “I think I have, not only the experience, but the perspective and the values and the motivation to do that.”
He said he has been an active member of the community for over twenty years.
“Being a County Commissioner, being on many other boards and commissions, writing columns for the Frederick News Post and Gazette, having a radio show, organizing on issues and communities across the entire county,” he said.
Hagen is currently a member of the Frederick County Council.
Current County Executive Jan Gardner can only serve two consecutive terms.