Del. Galen R. Clagett (D-Dist. 3A) of Frederick is anticipating running for state comptroller if the incumbent, Peter Franchot, runs for governor, as many anticipate.

Clagett told me in a wide-ranging interview the other day that he definitely does not want to run again for delegate, and that he could “do more good“ for Frederick County as comptroller than as a delegate.

The comptroller is a member of the powerful state Board of Public Works, which includes the governor and the state treasurer. The position has a big say on bond issues and funding for construction projects, including schools.

Of course, everything would depend on how well Franchot, who has been traveling the state for two years testing the waters, does in his bid to win the Democratic nomination. Anthony Brown, the lieutenant governor to O’Malley who gave a stemwinder of a speech at the recent Democratic dinner in Frederick even though he was not the keynoter, is making a big push.

Clagett, a prosperous real estate man, said he doesn’t have to run for office, and he would only serve one term. “I tell young people don’t make politics your career,” he said.

But he has a backup plan if the comptroller bid falls through. He would run for county executive if a new form of government, county executive-county council, is adopted next year followed by an election in 2014. Clagett said he also would only serve one term in that position.

Who would replace him as a delegate?

Clagett is pushing his longtime legislative aide, Frederick Alderman Carol Krimm (D), who was non-committal when I interviewed her. But she seemed interested in talking about how she loved the legislative “process” in Annapolis. Clagett said some young faces such as Ryan Trout, an aide to Sen. Ron Young (D-Dist. 3) of Frederick and Frederick Alderman Michael O’Connor (D) would be good candidates.

As for county executive, the last time a referendum was held a decade ago, the idea went down in flames. A number of voters feared that Clagett could turn into a despot as county executive. But Clagett said that is nonsense.

“Besides,” he noted, “people have seen in my years in Annapolis I haven’t done anything to show I am a despot. Anyhow, I have mellowed over the years.”

So it looks like Clagett plans to stay in politics in some capacity for a few more years.

One thing that concerns Clagett is what he considers as the ineffective way the county Democratic organization is raising money. Clagett had hoped to coordinate his fundraising with the county’s, but so far it has not worked out well and he is threatening to go off and raise money on his own.

Jason Judd, who lost a bid for Frederick mayor two years ago but is mum on any plans, is playing a key role in the county’s fundraising. But he is often remote and hard to work with, some politicians say.

And if that isn’t enough, the l’enfant terrible of Frederick politics, former Commissioner Kai Hagen, who led the whole Democratic commissioner slate to defeat last year, is still acting like he is running his own party.

Recently, he has been the guiding light, if you can call it that, to force a special election of a charter-writing committee, which would cost the taxpayers at least $250,000.

The words of Will Rogers, the late Oklahoma cowboy, seem appropriate: “I am not a member of any organized party. I’m a Democrat.”

Joe Volz is a Pulitzer Prize finalist who has covered every aspect of government from the White House to the Frederick County school board. You can reach him at volzjoe2003@yahoo.com. To submit a letter to the editor in response to this column, log onto www.gazette.net, and click on the Speak Out tab.