| County Executive of Essex County | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Term length | Four years; renewable |
| Inaugural holder | Peter Shapiro |
| Formation | 1986 |
| Website | http://essexcountynj.org/essex-county-executive/ |
The County Executive of Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, is the chief officer of the county's executive branch and oversees the administration of county government. Approved in a 1977 referendum, the office was inaugurated in 1978 at the same time the Board of Chosen Freeholders, which plays a legislative role, was reconfigured to include a mix of at-large and district seats. The executive offices are located at the Essex County Government Complex in the county seat, Newark. When the first executive was elected in 1978, The New York Times described that the position was "considered by many to be second in power only to that of the Governor."[1]
The executive has power to appoint a County Administrator as well as department heads, subject to the approval of the Board of County Commissioners. Responsibilities include preparation/submission of operating and capital budgets, introduction of legislation, the hiring and dismissal of personnel, and approval or veto of Freeholder ordinances. The Board of County Commissioners have the power to investigate administrative actions of the executive, approve ordinances and resolutions, initiate service contracts with municipalities, and adopt an administrative code.[2]
The executive is directly elected to a four-year term on a partisan basis. Since the first county executive took office, five individuals have served in the position, alternating between Democrats and Republicans. Incumbent Democrat Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. was first elected county executive in 2002.
As of Election Day 2017 there were 491,941 registered voters in the county, the third-most of any county in the state[3] which in 2016 had estimated an estimated population of 786,914, the third-largest county in New Jersey by population.[4]
Essex is one of five counties in New Jersey with a county executive, the others being Atlantic, Bergen, Hudson and Mercer.[5][6]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT19781108was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ General Information, Essex County, New Jersey. Accessed March 19, 2018. "Citizens approved the change in form of government by a 72,226 to 64,238 vote. As per the approved plan, Essex County was divided into five districts, by population and geography, with each district represented by one Freeholder, and the four remaining Freeholders were to be elected at-large. The following year, the new officials were elected on November 6, 1978, and were sworn into office on the steps of the Essex County Hall of Records one week later, Tuesday, November 13."
- ^ Statewide Voter Registration Summary, New Jersey Department of State, published November 7, 2017. Accessed March 18, 2018
- ^ State & County QuickFacts – Essex County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed April 9, 2017.
- ^ Robert D. Prunetti, County Executive Of Mercer County, Plaintiff, v. Mercer County Board Of Chosen Freeholders, Defendant, FindLaw, November 13, 2001. Accessed March 19, 2018. "In 1972, the Legislature adopted the Optional County Charter Law, providing a county the opportunity to reorganize its form of government into one of four alternative forms: (i) the County Executive Plan; (ii) the County Manager Plan; (iii) the Board President Plan; or (iv) the County Supervisor Plan. See N.J.S.A. 40:41A-1 et seq. Six counties have elected to reorganize their governmental structure pursuant to the Optional Charter Act. They are respectively: Atlantic, Essex, Hudson, Essex, Mercer and Union Counties. Five of these counties...have opted for the County Executive Plan."
- ^ Rinde, Meir. "Explainer: What's a Freeholder? NJ's Unusual County Government System", NJ Spotlight, October 27, 2015. Accessed March 19, 2018. "Five counties -- Atlantic, Essex, Essex, Hudson, and Mercer -- opted for popularly elected county executives in addition to freeholder boards."
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