By Adam Pagnucco.
Part One explained how this survey was conducted. Parts Two, Three, Four, Five and Six listed elected officials. Parts Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten listed influential non-elected people. Let’s continue with them today.
All comments are from my sources except for those specifically made by me.
4. Former County Executive Ike Leggett (18 votes)
Still mentor to many elected officials and has a good read on politics, policy and all things MoCo.
Still a strong political brand and validator. And also overseeing Blueprint implementation.
The contrast with his successor couldn’t be greater, and that couldn’t be better for the strategically brilliant and politically astute former County Executive. His popularity has only risen since he left office.
His name adds instant credibility and is a brilliant strategist, if you listen to him. Being thoughtful, pragmatic, and more interested in good public policy over politics, he would have a very hard time getting elected in today’s Democratic Party.
Still an important voice for the county and state.
Former County Executive is still everywhere. His endorsement matters and he is still engaged.
Still does a fair amount of “clean up” work for us in Annapolis and he is head of the Accountability Implementation Board and he remains a member of the University of Maryland Board of Regents. He’s a major player in his quiet way.
Still very plugged in and working behind the scenes to advise policy makers.
Pagnucco: Most elected officials disappear from the public arena after leaving office. Not Ike Leggett. As my sources’ remarks reveal above, his influence continues to permeate both the county and the state (via his work on the Blueprint law). For as long as he wants to play, folks will continue to seek out his counsel, making him a quiet kingmaker in MoCo politics.
3. Jennifer Martin/David Stein/Montgomery County Education Association President (20 votes)
Note from Pagnucco: Martin is the former president of MCEA. Stein is the new president. My sources voted for the occupant of this position, so I am counting responses for each of them together.
You either love MCEA and the Apple Ballot or hate them. But they wield tremendous power. Other unions are envious of their influence.
We are in a transition moment but hard to imagine the head of the teachers union won’t be influential in education first Montgomery County.
MCEA’s influence has waned, but it’s still an influential group, and hopefully David [Stein] can restore some actual strategy to their work.
One piece of paper shaped like a fruit has sway over one of the wealthiest, most politically engaged places on the planet.
[Martin] just handed over the reigns but she kept MCEA powerful.Most don’t appreciate MCEA’s recent tactics, but they have been among the squeakiest wheels in the County.
Heads the union that got Elrich elected.
Jennifer Martin played a key role in pushing MCEA’s agenda. She didn’t always have the best judgement, but she was influential nonetheless. (I’m sure David Stein will be even more strategic).
Pagnucco: To all of you blockheads who say that MCEA has lost influence, did you notice how the council just tossed them $30 million to try (unsuccessfully) to shut them up? When is the last time the council threw you 30 million bucks?
2. Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno (26 votes)
Runs our county govt as CAO. Sometimes that is also a negative as t’s are not always crossed and i’s not always dotted. Smart, but sometimes picks unnecessary fights.
Heir to the Elrich county executive-ship?
The shadow county executive.
Rich (former state senator and should have been governor) has put together an incredibly hard-working team that has been heralded by even Elrich’s strongest detractors.
Pagnucco: Back when Rich was appointed to his current position, I wrote a post comparing him to his predecessors and asking whether his skill set was appropriate for the job. Four years later, it looks like Rich has stabilized the Elrich administration. I don’t see the same level of drama there that I did under his book-hawking predecessor. What will be interesting with Rich is whether he someday seeks the county executive’s office, something that would have been unthinkable for prior chief administrative officers.
1. Adam Pagnucco, Author, Montgomery Perspective (31 votes)
Pagnucco: My sources said a lot of things about me, mostly flattering, but I am not printing them. Who wants to read somebody printing nice things about themselves? That’s not what this site is about! I will make one exception, however, and offer gratitude to the source who called me “a pain in the ass.” You know who you are!
There is definitely sample bias in my appearance on the list. Since these are my sources, sure, a lot of them are voting for me. But in large part, they are really voting for themselves, since this site depends on their tips, feedback, advice and knowledge. They are in my ear all day, every day, telling me what’s what and making sure that I – and Montgomery Perspective readers – know what is happening in our county.
That said, my top five non-elected people are (in no particular order) Ike Leggett, Eric Luedtke, Rich Madaleno, Thomas Taylor and MCEA’s president, who is currently David Stein. All of them have real power that goes beyond just writing stuff on the internet.
Want to see how this year’s list compares to the past? Check out our previous Most Influential lists.
That’s all for now. When the time is right, we shall do this again!