Approved in a 1977 referendum, the office was inaugurated in 1978 at the same time the Board of Chosen Freeholders, which plays a legislative role, was reconfigured to include a mix of at-large and district seats.

Responsibilities include preparation/submission of operating and capital budgets, introduction of legislation, the hiring and dismissal of personnel, and approval or veto of Freeholder ordinances.

[10] A three-judge panel gave the charter-change supporters an extension to gather the necessary petitions in enough time to have ballots printed,[11] which never came to fruition.

Shapiro ran for the new office, defeating Sheriff John F. Cryan, the candidate of the well-entrenched Democratic organization led by county chairman Harry Lerner in the primary,[15] before knocking off Republican Robert F. Notte in the first general election for the post in November 1978.

[22] The Democrats had faced challenges, since Cooper and Thomas Giblin wound up tied with 22,907 votes in the June primary, after three official recounts.

[23] A series of court battles ended that August, with Cooper selected as the general election candidate, two months after the primary.

[24] After two failed bids for United States Senate in 2000 and 2002, as well as facing federal corruption charges, Treffinger chose not seek re-election as executive in 2002.

[16] After 11 years as a freeholder, Democrat Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. was elected to his first term as executive in 2002, defeating Republican Candy Straight with more than 70% of the vote.

[25] DiVincenzo was re-elected in 2006 with 121,490 votes (76.4% of the total), ahead of Republican Joseph Chiusolo with 32,728 (20.7%), as well as independent candidates Donald Page 3,346 (2.0%), and George M. Tillman 1,349 (0.84%).