<P> A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county . </P> <P> The executive may be an elected or an appointed position . When elected, the executive 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, president or mayor . When appointed, the executive 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 (rather than that of an appointed governor common outside the US), and is similar to a chief administrative officer, depending on the state . 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 . </P>

Who is the highest ranking official in a county