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In this year of voter rage, the political tsunami sweeping the country could deluge our incumbent county commissioners in our "City of Clustered Ires."

We certainly have our share of angry voters on both ends of the political spectrum. There are conservative Republicans who figure the board has so restricted growth — of course, the recession has helped — that we have lost jobs and the opportunity to do what we wish with our property.

On the other hand, liberal Democrats say the developers want to pave over Frederick County with shopping centers and houses and build a huge, expensive incinerator to burn all of the detritus from the new arrivals who flock up from Montgomery County.

Add to that, there is widespread anger at anyone in office, as evidenced by the increasing popularity of the conservative tea party movement.

However, our local tea partiers aren't quite against every public servant. They support conservative Republicans like Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and Commissioner Blaine R. Young.

Here's how the Board of County Commissioners' contest looks so far: Only two incumbents are running, Kai Hagen and Young.

Hagen (D) is the hero of the anti-incinerator crowd and views himself as an environmentalist who values modest, reasoned growth.

On the other hand, Young, a WFMD gabmeister, never met a developer he didn't like and supports an incinerator, though not at the planned site near the Monocacy Battlefield.

Young has a loyal radio following of business people and blue-collar conservatives. I doubt, though, if too many of the literati who live around Baker Park, other than developers, are on the same wave length as Young.

Hagen's support by the environmentalists may not be too important. They aren't well organized. For example, they could not round up enough signatures on petitions to force a referendum on the city's annexation plans last year.

On the other hand, the anti-incinerator crowd — a feisty Caroline Eader seems to be the front woman — is vocal and wins a lot of press time. But the group has not come up with a clearly articulated counter-plan to an incinerator.

Our county dump, Mount Trashmore on Reichs Ford Road, continues to fill up and the costs of shipping the garbage somewhere else mount.

The average voter, except for those who live near the incinerator site, doesn't seem to view this whole matter as a burning issue.

Hagen has been tramping the wilderness trying to find Democratic candidates to support him.

Last week, he launched his re-election campaign and, finally found a friendly candidate, Ellis Burruss, 65, a Brunswick businessman who runs Bellwether Printing and is a member of the Brunswick Planning Commission.

Another Democrat has entered the race, Michael Kurtianyk of Middletown, a real estate man and staunch supporter of the business community.

Kurtianyk wants to be loved by everyone and doesn't want to commit himself about what to do with the trash. Get back to him in a couple of years, he says, after more studies are done.

Needless to say, Hagen is not enamored of that approach.

Kurtianyk does have the support of a powerful Democrat, though, Del. Galen Clagett, who is a real estate man himself. Clagett had "no comment" last week, however, when asked if he supports Hagen's re-election.

Young doesn't hesitate to support announced Republican candidates Billy Shreve, a real estate man, or Paul Smith, a lawyer who lost his aldermanic seat last year. If both Young and Hagen get elected, one of them could be the next president of the board.

It looks like an all-out battle between Blaine Young, champion of the developers, and Kai Hagen, the hero of the tree huggers, for control at Winchester Hall. That is, unless voters angry at every incumbent elect five rookies, as they did last year in the Board of Aldermen race.

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.