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A Shelter Bay man who for seven years has appraised and analyzed area properties learned the true value of real estate while growing up here.
Danny Hagen embraced the community of his youth, returning to La Conner after having played college basketball and competed in track and field at California Lutheran University, a married man seeking the ideal location to raise a family.
“I loved my time in La Conner so much that as soon as my wife and I found out we were going to be parents, we knew we had to move back to La Conner,” Hagen said. “In early 2014 we moved back to the home I lived in when I went to La Conner (schools) and we have now filled that home with four kids.”
It is from that Shelter Bay residence that Hagen is launching a campaign to succeed retiring Skagit County Assessor Dave Thomas.
Hagen announced his candidacy to the Weekly News last week.
Among those who have already given a vote of confidence to Hagen, a former La Conner High School basketball coach, is Thomas himself.
“Danny Hagen possesses all the skills for the office of assessor,” Thomas said last week, “most important of which is leadership.”
The assessor is responsible for administering the property tax system for the county. It is a role with which Hagen is well acquainted as a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers and after having inspected and appraised more than 10,000 properties in Skagit County.
Hagen’s resume is filled with the leadership experiences to which Thomas referred.
As a community volunteer, Hagen serves in leadership roles with several organizations, including the board of directors of Chinook Enterprises. He is treasurer of the La Conner Youth Soccer Association.
He was drawn to leadership first as a sports coach and later in civic engagement. Four years ago, Hagen graduated from the Skagit Leadership program, serving as its co-speaker of the Class of 2018.
He feels the timing is right now to seek the assessor’s position.
“It’s an exciting time for Skagit County,” he said, “and we need an assessor who truly understands the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Our residents deserve complete transparency, fairness and professionalism in assessments.
“My seven years of experience in the Skagit County Assessor’s Office,” Hagen stressed, “have prepared me to fulfill this vision. My commitment to this community will always guide me.”
Hagen’s sense of community grew from his family’s move to Shelter Bay in 2000 and his La Conner schooling.
“I quickly fell in love with the school and my classmates,” he said. “The safety and tight-knit community here really provided the perfect backdrop for me to flourish at such an important time in my life.”
Hagen played basketball at La Conner and for an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) program in the Lynnwood area.
“We had some really tough matchups,” he said. “Beating Archbishop Murphy twice and beating King’s in the first round of the district tournament will always be highlights.”
Hagen, joined by his wife, Nicole, and the couple’s three sons and baby daughter, takes in local geography with regular weekend trail hikes.
Now he’s hoping to add one more trek to the list – a jaunt ending behind the county assessor’s desk.
Candidate filing week for all 2022 elections is May 16-20.
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