The Jefferson County Judge/Executive is the nominal chief executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky. On January 3, 2003, the county government merged with that of its largest city,
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
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, to create the Louisville Metro Government. The former powers of the County Judge/Executive were assigned to the newly created office of Mayor of Louisville Metro.
The position of county judge/executive is established in the state constitution.
Kentucky Revised Statutes Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) is the name given to the body of laws which govern the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States. They are created pursuant to the Kentucky Constitution and must conform to the limitations set out in the Constitutions ...
67.700 further establishes the position of "
County Judge/Executive
A County Judge/Executive (or simply, Judge/Executive, and often written Judge-Executive) is an elected official in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky who is the head of the executive branch of a government in a county. The Judge/Executive is an '' ...
" for all counties in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
. As a result of the
city-county consolidation
In United States local government, a consolidated city-county is formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county ( parish in Louisiana, borough in Alaska) merge into one unified jurisdiction. As such it has the governmental powers ...
, Jefferson County is the only county in which the office has no governing powers, but it remains an elected office. The holder of the position continues to represent the county in various organizational and lobbying groups, such as the
National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents county governments in the United States.
History
Kentucky's Constitutions of 1792 and 1799 did not provide for a county judge. Justices of the peace were the most important local judicial officials during the time these constitutions were in effect. Their duties included responsibility for county administrative matters.
Article IV, section 29, of the Kentucky Constitution of 1850 provided for a county judge. During the time this constitution was in effect the county judge presided over county court, the court of claims, and quarterly court. County court exercised appellate jurisdiction over justices' courts and functioned as the legislative and administrative authority for the county. Courts of claims were an aggregation of all of a county's justices of the peace sitting for the purpose of imposing the county tax levy and appropriating county funds. Quarterly court exercised minor civil jurisdiction.
Under the 1891 Constitution, the office of judge of the county court combined a number of judicial, legislative and administrative duties. Sections 139 and 140 made the county judge the chief judicial officer of the county and quarterly courts. He was also made the presiding officer of the fiscal court, the county legislative body (Section 144). Over the years, additional duties of an executive and administrative nature were assigned to the county judge by the General Assembly.
The 1975 Judicial Amendment to the Constitution, which reorganized the state's judicial system, stripped the office of the county judge of its judicial powers and responsibilities. While the county judge was no longer a judicial officer, the Judicial Amendment (Ky. Const., sec. 124) left other aspects of the office intact. Section 124 says that " thing...shall be construed to limit the powers otherwise granted by this Constitution to the county judge as the chief executive, administrative and fiscal officer of the county..." Also unchanged were numerous statutory powers and duties that have accumulated over the years.
During the 1976 Extraordinary Session, the General Assembly restyled the office of county judge by enacting legislation that strengthened and clarified its administrative and executive powers (KRS 67.710 and 67.715). The title of the office was changed from county judge to county judge/executive, underscoring the altered nature and duties of the position. Additional changes, primarily growth of the judge/executive's responsibilities for financial administration, were made by the General Assembly in 1978 and 1980.
The Jefferson County Judge/Executive formerly had a number of responsibilities unique to the office, by virtue of
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
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being a first-class city. In 2003, the city and county governments merged following a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
. The new Mayor of Louisville Metro then absorbed all the powers and authority previously held by the county judge/executive, as well as that of the city's mayor. See Kentucky Revised Statutes 67C.105 (1)(4).
The last pre-merger Jefferson County Judge/Executive was Rebecca Jackson.
Since the powers were removed the office, three persons have served as Jefferson County Judge/Executive: Kenneth A. Herndon (2003–2010), Bryan Mathews (2011 – July 31, 2014) and Queenie Averette (September 14, 2014–present).
Matthews resigned on July 31, 2014; before the expiration of his term. Governor Steve Beshear appointed Averette his successor on September 14; Averette was unopposed for a full term in November.
A notable former holder of the office is
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
and
Senate Minority Leader
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...