When the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted in 2023 to transition from a county administrator to a county executive model, it was a thoughtful and strategic decision rooted in opportunity, need and commitment to better serve our communities. The administrator role, created in 1955, has seen few changes over the past 70 years.

With the retirement of our long-serving administrator, we paused to assess how best to position the county for the future. We studied governance models across California, spoke with leaders in peer counties and gathered input from community members. The conclusion was clear: Modernizing our leadership structure would enhance coordination, strengthen accountability and improve our ability to address increasingly complex challenges.

The result is a new county executive model, adopted by ordinance in November 2023 and implemented with the hiring of County Executive Derek Johnson in April 2024. This transition builds on Marin’s strong foundation of public service while realigning leadership to drive innovation and accelerate progress.

Why now? Because the demands of local government have changed — dramatically. Complex, interrelated issues like homelessness, housing, wildfire prevention, flood risk and climate resilience require cross-departmental collaboration and strategic focus. The structure created decades ago had not kept pace with Marin’s environmental, organizational, societal and regulatory challenges. This once-in-a-half-century restructuring ensures we can meet today’s challenges head-on — and prepare for tomorrow.

Take homelessness, for example. No single department can address the housing, health and safety needs of people who are unhoused. Meaningful solutions have come from coordinated efforts across Health and Human Services, Behavioral Health, Public Health, the Marin Housing Authority, Community Development, Public Works, the Sheriff’s Office and partnerships with cities and local nonprofits. Similarly, new state housing mandates now require the county to approve most projects — demanding coordination, consistent policy and objective standards to preserve the quality of life while avoiding costly litigation.

Historically, Marin’s 22 department heads reported directly to the Board of Supervisors. That may have worked when Marin was less complex, but today it limits our ability to respond with agility and focus and to deliver outcomes that the community should expect. Marin has high public expectations, and communities — like Marin City and Santa Venetia — that need planned, coordinated investment after years of underinvestment. At the end of the day, residents care about outcomes. This change is about serving the community, making smarter investments and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently using modern best practices.

With 22 managers reporting to the county executive, there was insufficient bandwidth to provide strategic leadership — something no private or public sector executive would consider sustainable. These changes are not about bureaucracy — they’re about results. The reorganization strengthens our internal leadership and adds roles to improve public communication, budgeting, technology and process improvement. It also introduces municipal liaisons for areas like West Marin, Marin City, Tamalpais Valley, Strawberry and Santa Venetia, where residents have asked for more responsive, coordinated service. With these changes, county staffing is in line with other comparable-sized counties throughout California.

Some have asked: Is now the right time to make this investment? We believe it is. These are not symbolic hires or layers of bureaucracy. These are practical positions designed to make county government more effective, equitable and accountable. With this new structure, it is better equipped to implement critical board priorities — from delivering permanent housing for unsheltered residents to advancing climate change and accelerating project timelines for critical projects such as roads, bridges and public safety facilities.

As Marin celebrates its 175th anniversary, we embrace this change not for its own sake, but to ensure that local government remains resilient, responsive and rooted in community needs. We are committed to transparency and accountability, including sharing regular updates and performance metrics so the public can track progress.

Ultimately, this isn’t just about structure — it’s about service. Our goal is simple: to serve our communities better. That means delivering high-quality services, safe infrastructure and stronger partnerships. The changes we are making today are not just about how government is structured — they are about what it can deliver for all who live and work in Marin.

District 1 Supervisor Mary Sackett is president of the board. Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters represents District 3.