The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors announced that Assistant County Executive Gary Graves will serve as acting county executive, beginning Nov. 1, when County Executive Pete Kutras retires.

Graves has served in a variety of Santa Clara County executive management positions since 1984. For the past five years, he has served as assistant county executive. Graves also serves as executive liaison to the Superior Court and is the lead negotiator in the transfer of court facilities to the state. Graves provides lead staff support to the board's Health and Hospital Committee, Public Safety and Justice Committee, Finance and Government Operations Committee and the Disaster Council.

"Graves is uniquely suited to provide stability to the county organization because of his tenure and intimate knowledge of county programs and services, his financial background, and his involvement in statewide issues that affect counties," said County of Santa Clara Board Chair Pete McHugh.

During his six year assignment as deputy county executive from 1997 to 2003, Graves was responsible for management and oversight of the county's resource allocation process, information services and technology strategies. Graves also led the development of the county's long range capital financing plan - which resulted in the construction of $520 million priority capital projects while protecting the county's AA+ credit rating. He provided direct staff support to the board's ad hoc committee charged with analyzing the general fund subsidy of Valley Medical Center. Graves held various budget management positions from the period of 1984 to 2003.

Prior to joining the county, for five years, Graves held financial management positions in New York, where he participated in restructuring the city's budget, implemented fiscal management policies and procedures, supervised the office of management and budget for the 14 agencies that provided direct staff support to the mayor, and analysis and fiscal oversight to New York City police, transit police and the housing authority police departments - budgets totaling $1.2 billion.

Graves holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from State University of New York, Albany, Nelson Rockefeller School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Political Science from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

The board will retain an executive search firm to recruit for the position of county executive.

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