Kenosha County Supervisor Jerry Gulley, a resident of Pleasant Prairie, formally announced his candidacy for County Executive today with the following statement:
“I bought my home here in 2012 to be near my in-laws. I’ve been privileged to live in so many beautiful parts of our country – Tennessee, New York, Silicon Valley, Birmingham, Seattle, and most recently, San Francisco. But Kenosha is the first place I’ve called home.”
Gulley, who has launched and grown successful companies for over 20 years, adds, “I’ve recruited, hired, retained, and mentored large teams and I have deep experience in public health policy, healthcare, technology, literacy, marketing, and communications. I’m the first to recognize I may not seem like a typical candidate, as I haven’t been immersed in partisan politics for decades. But my deep experiences in private and public companies and non-profits will add a fresh perspective to county management.”
In 2020 Gulley was elected to represent District 16 as a Kenosha County Supervisor. He serves on the Human Services and Judiciary + Law committees and was asked to chair the workgroup tasked with launching the Kenosha County Racial and Ethnic Equity Commission.
He is a member of the Kenosha Public Market Board of Directors and serves on the board of the Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency. Gulley has hosted seven high-school-aged exchange students since moving to Kenosha and is heavily involved as a local volunteer leader for American Field Service. He’s an active volunteer for KUSD and spends time mentoring at Nash Elementary.
Over the next few weeks, Gulley will be sharing his plan for reorganizing the staff of the office of the County Executive, as well his priorities and positions for six critical county functions.
- Economic opportunity
- Health and Wellness
- Citizen Engagement
- Infrastructure
- Planning and Sustainability
- Budget and Finance
What does a County Executive do?
Several (typically larger) counties in the state of Wisconsin have a County Executive. In the simplest terms, a County Executive serves as the head of the executive branch of a county government. The Board of Supervisors serves as the legislative branch.
County Executives are elected every four years in a non-partisan election held in the spring of the year. Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the creation of the annual county budget (~$265M for Y21) and then submitting it to the Board of Supervisors for approval
- Appointing and managing county department heads (Human Resources, Public Works, Finance, etc.)
- Appointing citizens to county boards, committees and commissions (Board of Health, Civil Service Commission, Racial Equity Commission, etc.)
- Ensuring the efficient delivery of county services to the public
- Continually working to make Kenosha County a hub of growing and diverse economic development and an amazing place in which to reside and to visit
- Ensuring the activities of County Government are transparent