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Howard County Executive Ken Ulman was supposed to be on vacation this week — a "stay-cation" during which he could spend time with his wife and two young daughters.

But when you're in charge of one of the state's wealthiest and fastest-growing counties, work never truly stops.

Such was the case Wednesday, when Ulman (D) joined U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein in Columbia to announce a $39,000 anti-gang grant that aims to keep kids out of trouble during the summer months. From there, it was on to an awards luncheon for the Association of Community Services of Howard County.

"Vacation is always loosely defined," he quipped.

Ulman's always-on-the-go work habits and ambitious agenda have colleagues and political observers pointing to a bright future for a man who looks even younger than his 35 years.

Although no formal campaign announcement has been made, Ulman plans to run for re-election in 2010. If he wins a second term — Del. Elizabeth Bobo (D-Dist. 12B) of Columbia was the last incumbent Howard executive to lose a bid for re-election in 1990 — he's likely to explore a run for statewide office in 2014.

That's where the picture becomes fuzzy.

Democrats have a deep bench in Maryland, and it could be a crowded field of candidates looking to move up.

Among them, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown is in line to climb the ladder, while Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has gubernatorial ambitions and Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot is often mentioned as having interest in the governorship. Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr., who is term-limited in 2010, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and several others create an even larger crop of candidates.

So where does Ulman fit in?

Some say governor makes sense, even if the competition appears strong. Others suggest he's better suited to run for attorney general before making the leap to governor. (He gave up his Columbia law practice when he became executive.)

"I think the sky's the limit for him," said Del. Guy Guzzone (D-Dist. 13) of Columbia, a former two-term county councilman and close confidant of Ulman. "He's an incredibly smart guy and very successful at bringing forth innovation."

Ulman has staked much of his political future on the success of his signature initiative, the Healthy Howard Access Plan. It has garnered national attention for striving to give health coverage to thousands of uninsured county residents — the program was featured Tuesday on NPR's All Things Considered — but it has also fallen short of expectations to date.

Instead of enrolling more than 2,000 people in its first year, only 200 had signed up as of May, with another 250 applications being processed. Ulman said the county needs to do a better job identifying eligible participants through marketing. The program offers access to a network of primary and emergency care physicians and other specialty medical services for as little as $50 per month.

But Ulman also takes pride in the program's successes. As a result of Healthy Howard, about 3,000 people who didn't know they qualified for insurance through other means are now covered.

He also shared an encounter with a man at the Baltimore Orioles game Wednesday night. The man, a waiter at an area restaurant, excitedly said he was one of the first people to register for Healthy Howard, which supplies coverage for him and his 3-year-old daughter.

"He told me, ‘For $50 a month, you can't beat it,'" Ulman said.

Critics, however, aren't as sanguine.

Despite the low enrollment, the county has spent $500,000 on the program each of the past two years. That's money that could be used more prudently in tight fiscal times, said Sen. Allan H. Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) of West Friendship, who served on the council with Ulman for two years.

Recently, Ulman has come under fire from Councilman Greg Fox (R-Dist. 5) of Fulton for having two officers assigned to his personal security detail.

But Ulman notes how he has cut costs in the past two-plus years by closing the county's print shop, shuttering the county's cable television studio and partnering with the local community college to produce some programming there, expanding the county's recycling program and tightening the use of county take-home vehicles.

Ulman's biggest political asset is his youth, said Tom Schaller, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who considers Ulman "a natural" for governor.

"He's got plenty of time, even if there's not a lot of room at the top of the ballot in 2014," Schaller said.

And Howard has become a bellwether county in statewide races, as well as a pivotal fundraising destination.

For his part, Ulman said he's not thinking that far down the road. Even those close to Ulman said he didn't talk about running for executive until late in his term on the council.

"I really live my life with the notion that every challenge presents an opportunity and if you do a good job, then opportunities tend to present themselves," he said. "People who plan too far in advance in a specific way are usually disappointed."