A county judge/executive is like the CEO or mayor of the county.
Although the judge/executive has no judicial power, they are the chair and a voting member of the county’s fiscal court. Their main responsibilities are creating a county budget and administering the budget as approved by the fiscal court, overseeing the funds, appointing county personnel, and forming relationships with organizations and industry leaders that support their county.
The judge/executive serves a four-year term and may be re-elected indefinitely.
According to the Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, at the time of election, the candidate must be at least 24 years of age, a citizen of Kentucky and have resided in the state for two years, one of which must be preceding the candidate’s election in the county and district in which they are running.
Salary for the judge/executive is based on the population in their county and is intended to be a full-time job. Campbell, Kenton and Boone counties have populations between 90,000 and 499,000. According to the Kentucky Association of Counties, an advocacy group that collects data on its 1,500-plus membership, the judges/executive for Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties will all make $150,948.29 each in 2025.
Former legislator and current public policy and political consultant Adam Keonig said judge/executive candidates are usually active business members and have an array of political experience. For instance, Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann was a county commissioner before becoming judge/executive. Campbell County Judge/Executive Steve Pendery was the Fort Thomas mayor. In contrast, Boone County Judge/Executive had not held office before.
“Obviously, things change,” he said. “There are times when people value experience, and there are times when they don’t. It all depends on the person in the race.”
While all county residents vote for the judge/executive, Keonig said the position mostly affects people who live in the unincorporated part of the county. This is because the fiscal court is the primary provider of services like road repairs and snow removal in that area.
“The services that you get provided from sanitation districts, water districts, the airport, those people that run those organizations are appointed by the judge/executive, and they provide very important services every day, everyone in all three counties,” Keonig said. “So, they can have a lot of input and a lot of effects, good or bad.”
The fiscal court votes on county ordinances, court orders and resolutions. The judge/executive is responsible for enforcing all contracts entered into by the fiscal court, including those specified in this section. As well as all state laws, subject to enforcement by the judge/executive.
They are responsible for preparing and submitting an annual budget to the fiscal court and administering it when adopted by the fiscal court. The judge/executive is also responsible for keeping the fiscal court aware of the financial condition and needs of the county.
Fiscal court meetings are open to the public, and anyone living within the county can address the court and judge/executive with any complaints or concerns they might have.