Posts by Zest SMS
In Memory of County Mayor Joe Brooks
The County Executives of America family is heartbroken by the passing of Claiborne County Mayor Joe Brooks. While Joe proudly served the people of Claiborne County, those of us who…
Read MoreNACo Achievement Awards 2026: CEA Members Take Top Honors
Only 18 county programs in the entire nation earned Best in Category honors at the NACo Achievement Awards 2026 and two of them came from CEA member counties. The National…
Read MoreCounty Healthcare Employment: What the Data Shows
Healthcare is the largest employer in many American counties. It’s also one of the most consequential sectors for county government because counties often run hospitals, health departments, and behavioral health…
Read MoreCounty Executive vs. Commissioner: Key Differences Explained
Two county officials walk into the same room to decide how the local government responds to a flooding emergency. One has full executive authority to direct resources, sign contracts, and…
Read MoreBehind the Streak: San Bernardino County Wins 257 NACo Awards
This is what consistent, county-wide commitment to innovation looks like when it shows up in the data. 257 national awards in a single year. That number belongs to San Bernardino…
Read MoreHow County Leaders Use Census Data for Budget Decisions
Most counties make budget decisions with one major data gap: a reliable, annually updated picture of what’s actually happening in the local economy. The Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns program…
Read MoreInnovative County Programs: How Maricopa County Earned 85 NACo Awards
Eighty-five awards in a single year. That’s not a typo. Maricopa County, Arizona set a new record in 2025 by earning more NACo Achievement Awards than it ever had before,…
Read MoreAlbany County Demonstrates the Power of Smarter Healthcare Savings
The County Executives of America (CEA) is proud to highlight another real-world example of how counties can deliver meaningful savings for taxpayers while continuing to provide high-quality healthcare benefits for…
Read MoreCounty Economic Data: A Guide to Business Patterns
When a site selector calls your county economic development office with questions about local workforce size, they expect a data-backed answer. When a state legislator asks how county payroll has…
Read MoreWhat the County Executive Form of Government Delivers
In 1998, voters in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, did something most counties never dare to attempt. They scrapped their entire governing structure. The three-commissioner system that had governed the county since…
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