The County Executive of

Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic County is a county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...

and manages the county business, including implementing policy, administering county services, and directing the executive staff. Executives have overseen the administration of county government since the county adopted the form in 1974. The executive offices are located in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. The executive is elected to a four-year term. there were 180,123 registered voters in the county. Since its first county executive took office in 1975, three individuals have served as the county executive, two of whom have been elected to five consecutive terms of office. , Atlantic County's executive is Republican Dennis Levinson.

History

Starting in 1967, the county had been governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, all elected at large, having been reduced from a maximum of 35 members that had been reached in 1966, under a form in which each municipality in the county was represented by a freeholder. Under the pre-1967 system, each municipality had freeholders, but in a manner that gave disproportionate representation to smaller municipalities. Corbin City's 238 residents had two representatives, while

, with more than 60,000 residents, had four freeholders. In 1972, the state passed the Optional County Charter Law, which provided for four different manners in which a county could be governed, including by an executive, and administrator, a board president or a county supervisor. The county established a Charter Study Commission in 1973, which recommended the changes that were ultimately accepted. In November 1974, Atlantic County voters changed the county governmental form under the Optional County Charter Law to the county executive form. The charter provided for an executive directly by the voters and a nine-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, responsible for legislation. The executive is elected to a four-year term and the freeholders are elected to staggered three-year terms, of which four are elected from the county on an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

basis and five of the freeholders represent equally populated

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

.History of County Government

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

and

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counties as one of the five of 21 New Jersey counties with an elected executive.

County executives

Charles D. Worthington: 1975–1979

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Charles D. Worthington, the first county executive, took office in 1975 while serving his only term in the New Jersey General Assembly. The incoming freeholder board was dominated by Republicans, who held a 7-2 majority, flipping the 5-2 majority that Democrats had held on the freeholder board in place under the previous form of government.

Dick Squires: 1980–1999

Richard "Dick" Squires was born in 1932 in

and was raised Egg Harbor Township. A former Freeholder, Republican Squires defeated Worthington in the 1979 general election. Squires served in office as county executive for 20 years, until deciding in 1999 that he would not run for re-election. Squires won re-election in 1987, defeating Democrat Mary Haynie in an election that had focused on plans for the expansion of Atlantic City International Airport.

Dennis Levinson: 2000–present

Republican Dennis Levinson was raised in

Ventnor City Ventnor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,210, a decrease of 1,440 in the preceding decade.Atlantic City High School, before earning a bachelor's degree at Glassboro State College (now

Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. It was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents. ...

). He taught history for three decades at the

Northfield Community Schools The Northfield Community Schools is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from the City of Northfield, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the di ...

. Prior to his election to the Board of Freeholders he served as a Councilmember in the city of

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

from 1982 to 1986. First elected as a freeholder in an upset over Joe Messick, Levinson was chosen by his peers as Freeholder Chairman six times. Levinson was first elected Atlantic County Executive in 1999, winning 53% of the vote and spending $111,000 to defeat Democrat Tom Foley. He was re-elected in 2003 with 83% of the vote and no Republican opposition. In 2007, Levinson won with 65% of the vote, defeating Sheriff Jim McGeittigan, a Republican who changed parties to run for election. In 2011, Levinson again won reelection with two-thirds of the vote, defeating Democrat Clifton Sudler, who had never previously run for elective office. In 2015, Democratic challenger Jim Schroeder dropped out of the race in September, weeks before the election, citing health concerns. Schroeder's name stayed on the ballot and Levinson won with 63% of the vote, by a margin of 28,431 to 16,542.General Election Results November 3, 2015
Atlantic County Clerk. Accessed February 25, 2018.

References

{{Atlantic County, New Jersey 1974 establishments in New Jersey County government in New Jersey