Endorsement
KAI J. HAGEN lives with his wife, Kirsten, and two sons, Tor and Leif, on what was his grandparents’ hill farm in the Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont.
The community activist attended college in Minnesota and lived for a time in California, where he managed a number of nonprofit organizations before moving to Frederick County to stay in 1995. For three years, he wrote bi-weekly columns for both the Gazette and the Frederick News Post. He served as a member of the Frederick County Parks and Recreation Commission, was appointed to the Frederick County Citizens Zoning Review Committee, and also Co-chaired the Western Maryland Committee of Reality Check Plus. Comprised of business, civic and elected leaders from western Maryland, Reality Check Plus is a series of exercises designed to establish a 25-year projection for housing and employment requirements and opportunities across the state.
Mr. Hagen was the director of the Frederick Regional Action Network, which effectively "promotes common sense solutions to persistent challenges associated with growth and development." He also directed on-line community development for large corporations and nonprofit organizations.
Jeff was elected to the Multnomah County Commission in November of 2006 for a four-year term. Since his election, Jeff has racked up a list of successful initiatives Multnomah County taxpayers can be proud of. These include a new library in North Portland’s Kenton neighborhood, long over-due reforms to the Business Income Tax and crucial efforts to support returning veterans. Jeff’s vision and hands-on leadership brought the Northwest’s largest solar energy project to Multnomah County. By the end of 2008, three Multnomah County buildings will produce 1 megawatt of electricity from their rooftops, saving tax payer dollars and reducing greenhouse emissions.
Ted Wheeler took office as Multnomah County Chair on January 1, 2007 after winning election in 2006 with 70% of the vote. He is both the Chief Executive Officer of Multnomah County government and the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners. Before taking office, Wheeler worked for several financial service companies including the Bank of America and Copper Mountain Trust.
Multnomah County is a billion dollar government enterprise. With 5000 employees it is a major employer in the region. The County is responsible for a wide range of services which include the public library system, the public health system, mental health services, a wide range of public safety services, after-school programs, and the Willamette River Bridges, among others.
Ted Wheeler is a graduate of Portland’s Lincoln High School. He earned a BA degree in Economics from Stanford University, an MBA from Columbia University and a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
He served as a Lecturer in Political Science at Northeastern University and is the author of “Government that Works: Innovation in State and Local Government” published by McFarland and Company in 1993.
He lives in Portland Oregon with his wife Katrina, and daughter Quinnlan.
Gideon Freudmann, a cello innovator, has created his own style of music called CelloBop – a fusion of blues, jazz, folk and much more. Not only has Gideon performed at The Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Prague Swing Jazz Festival and throughout the US, but his music is also frequently heard on NPR’s All Things Considered. Gideon’s original composed music has been commissioned for film, television, theatre and dance. Gideon has 12 original CDs to his credit and has performed on dozens of albums by other musicians.
Robyn knows live radio. From 1994-1998, Robyn was the Producer of West Coast Live, a weekly radio show broadcast live in front of a theater audience in San Francisco and carried by public radio stations across the country. She’s also worked extensively in live concert and festival production for Bill Graham Presents doing VIP ticketing and credentials for groups ranging from the Rolling Stones to HH Dalai Lama. Prior to Live Wire! Robyn worked on large festivals in Oregon including The Mt. Hood Jazz Festival and The String Incident summer shows at Hornings Hideout.
