When I Became County Executive

When I became County Executive, I inherited an administration that had damaged public trust. I was sworn in to replace someone who went to jail.

My mission was simple: restore integrity and get results.

So I approached the job the same way I had approached business.

Find good people. Solve problems. Make decisions.

Do the work. And we did.

We improved the County’s bond rating, immediately saving taxpayers $10 million.

We replenished the depleted Rainy Day Fund.

We reduced 911 response times by 27%.

We tackled difficult issues instead of kicking the can down the road.

I tried to make every decision through the lens of what was right for the County, not what was best politically.

I hired people because they were qualified.

I valued competence.

I valued integrity.

And because I was determined to restore trust in government, I deliberately made qualifications the priority.

What I failed to appreciate was the difference between competence and commitment.

Not everyone who is committed to the work is committed to the leader.

Not everyone who wants the administration to succeed wants the campaign to succeed.

And those are not the same thing.

Some people had to leave because they had been part of the problems we were trying to fix.

Others left because they weren’t the right fit for where we were headed.

When some of those same people later became critics, or supporters of my opponent, I was surprised.

Looking back, I shouldn’t have been.

I assumed the work would speak for itself.

I assumed that if we produced results, treated people fairly, and acted with integrity, loyalty would follow.

Sometimes it did.

Sometimes it didn’t.

That was my blind spot.

Leadership isn’t just about producing results.

Results earn respect.

But relationships, trust, and shared commitment are what carry leaders through the difficult moments.

The strongest teams have both.

I wish I’d understood that sooner. This is why culture is so important.

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