What does a county executive do?

What this office controls

• Proposes the county budget, including the property tax rate, for the county council to approve or cut.
• Runs county departments day to day — police in many counties, public works, health, libraries, parks.
• Appoints department heads, usually with the council's approval.
• Signs or vetoes the bills the county council passes.

What it can’t do

Just as important, and the source of most misplaced expectations about the job:

• Cannot pass county laws or adopt the budget alone — that takes the county council.
• Does not run the public schools, though the county budget funds most of them.
• Does not control the sheriff, the state's attorney or the courts, which are separately elected or state offices.

Why this race matters

Only some counties have one, and where they do, the county executive writes the budget that sets your property tax and decides how much goes to police, schools, roads and services. It is usually the most powerful local office on the ballot.

What to look for in a candidate

• Budget priorities, and what they say about the property tax rate.
• Plans for growth, housing and development — and what they would approve or block.
• Experience running a large organization or a county department.
• How they have worked with the county council, if they have served before.