Five Questions for Rep. Scott Stadthagen
Rep. Scott Stadthagen started his business Hagen Homes, Inc. after graduating from college in 2005. Stadthagen holds many local leadership positions in Hartselle, including Chair of the Hartselle Area Chamber Commerce, member of the Economic Development group of Hartselle, member of the Morgan County Builders Association, member of the Hartselle Rotary, member of the Hartselle Kiwanis, and member of the Leadership of Hartselle Association. He is married to Amy and the couple have one daughter, Collins.
- What is your favorite aspect of public service?
Rep. Scott Stadthagen says serving the people of Morgan County and Alabama is his favorite aspect of public service. “Running for office never crossed my mind until I was the Chairman of the Hartselle Chamber of Commerce and worked on securing grants and built the Hartselle Farmers Market pro bono,” he says. “After the farmers market project was finished, I wanted to do more, and felt led to run for office. I am passionate about Morgan County and our state, and work on bills that protect and better our way of life.”
- What motivates you?
For the husband and father, hard work and his faith in God is a major motivator.
“I try to live every day to do the best I can, and to help others along the way,” he says. “I grew up the child of a single mother. I worked hard to earn a scholarship to play football so that I would be able to go to college, and then I’ve worked hard to build a company that now builds homes across North Alabama. Now, I serve in the legislature as the Majority Leader. I work hard for our Republican caucus members, my friends and neighbors in Morgan County and citizens across Alabama. I’m also heavily motivated to preserve the way of life that I want my daughter Collins, and everyone’s children and grandchildren to grow up in.”
- What disappoints you about the current political discourse? “There is always a lot of talk in the media about the discourse between the Democrats and Republicans, but in Alabama we have passed meaningful bipartisan legislation like the grocery tax and overtime bill, that will have a direct impact on Alabamians,” Stadthagen says. “That was a result of the Republican and Democratic caucuses working together to better Alabama.”
- 4. How do you describe Hartselle and Morgan County to your colleagues?
“I tell my colleagues in the legislature that first and foremost it is the people in Morgan County that make living here truly special. The constituents that I serve are hardworking, honest, humble, courteous, and we wouldn’t be southern without being hospitable and social,” he says. “They know from my stories that we have a small-town feel with all the amenities within a stone’s throw. If I were to have a weekend guest in town, I’d want to take them to a football game on Friday night where everyone calls you by name and let them see the sheer number of fans that come out to support our kids. I’d tell them that one of the secrets to our school system consistently being ranked one of the top in the state comes from what they are seeing in the stands – and in that these are all our kids, and their success is our success. Then, on Saturday I’d want to take them downtown to see all of our incredible shops and have lunch at the historic Freight House train station restaurant. Morgan county is a gem of a community and word is getting out as we see more and more families move into our area.
- 5. What has been your most unique constituent request?
“I honestly can’t think of any unique or odd constituent requests to share, but the field trip requests when our local schools come to Montgomery are one of my favorite parts of my role as a State Representative, Stadthagen says. “I believe it is important to teach our future generations about how the government works. My hope is that they come away from my tour with a better understanding of the governmental process and that they had fun doing it.”
