County executive

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A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.

The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, he/she typically functions either as a voting member of the elected county government, or may have veto power similar to other elected executives such as a governor or mayor. When appointed, he is usually hired for a specific period of time, but frequently can be dismissed prior to this. The position of an appointed county executive is analogous to that of a city manager. The executive is generally given full responsibility for the total operation of all departments based on general directives provided by the elected county government that hired the executive.