NACo survey results show trends

Washington, D.C. — Preliminary results of the National Association of Counties’ survey of elected county officials indicate that most are male first-termers.

The survey of the country’s 394 elected county executives covered topics ranging from salary to term limits to election procedures and length of service.

Of the respondents, 95 percent of whom are male, most have served for four years or fewer. Seventeen percent have been in office for less than one year, and 35 percent have served for one to four years.

Just 12 percent have been in office for more than 12 years.

Forty-five percent had held public office prior to their election as county executive — 33 percent had held county office and 12 percent municipal office. Forty-one percent, however, had never held elected office before running for the county executive’s spot.

Nearly all respondents — 80 percent — serve four year terms. The remaining 20, predominantly from Arkansas and Alaska, serve two- and three-year terms.

According to the survey, about 20 percent of the county executives will stand for election in 1996 and 1998, making the latter year a banner year for county executive elections with 80 percent of the posts up for grabs nationwide.

Sixty-eight percent of the respondents reported that their elections are partisan; 66 labeled themselves Democrats, 30 percent Republicans, 4 percent independents and 1 percent unaffiliated or failing to respond to the question.

Fifty-two percent make between $35,001 and $50,000 per year, while 30 percent make from $50,000 to $65,000. Another 15 percent make more than $65,000, and 18 percent make less than $35,000. Five of the respondents claimed salaries less than $15,000, two of whom make less than $5,000.

In the past 15 years, the council-elected executive form of county government has begun to boom.

It is currently the form of government in 373 counties and 21 city-county consolidated governments, an three-fold increase over 1980 figures. Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population — 60 million people in 27 states and the District of Columbia — is governed by the council-elected executive form.