Brian M. Hughes is the fourth person to serve as Mercer County Executive. He was elected in November 2003, becoming the first Democrat to hold the post in 24 years, and was re-elected to a second term in November 2007.

Hughes, the son of former Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes, has lived in Mercer County most of his life, both in Trenton and in Princeton. Prior to becoming County Executive, Hughes served as Deputy Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. In 1997, Hughes was elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders and served two terms, including a term as Freeholder President.

As County Executive, Hughes has led an ambitious effort to further the County's open space preservation efforts, including a successful ballot initiative that provides additional funding to the program. To date, the Hughes administration has preserved many thousands of acres of open space and farmland, ensuring that local agriculture will always have a place in Mercer County.

Hughes' efforts, in partnership with the Board of Chosen Freeholders, made Mercer County the first in New Jersey - and quite possibly in the nation - to ban the practice of pay-to-play by strictly limiting political contributions from individuals or entities seeking to do business with the County. This focus on ethics reform also led Hughes to create the County's first Office of Inspector General.

Hughes has also focused on restoring fiscal discipline to County government and expanding economic opportunities for all County residents. He has initiated the expansion of the County's Foreign Trade Zone from 71 to 1,600 acres, created the Mercer EYES job program to place youth into professional internships, presented several job fairs for veterans in Mercer County, and established the Latino Business Institute. In addition, the County Executive brought residents' desire for a centralized, convenient satellite location for County services and information to fruition with the opening of the Mercer County Connection in Hamilton Square in March 2007.

During his time in office, Hughes has also championed a variety of initiatives to improve health and safety in Mercer County's constituent communities. In 2005 the County Executive established the Gang Prevention and Intervention Task Force, and has since worked cooperatively with local law enforcement to develop proactive problem-solving strategies to combat gangs. Hughes has also helped the County to present a variety of new healthy-living resources for residents, including positive life choices seminars and employment initiatives for teens, healthcare assistance for seniors, and active recreation facilities and programs for all County residents through the Mercer at Play program.

With the belief that all people deserve equal opportunity and equal protection, in 2006 Hughes played an instrumental role in making full health, dental, vision, and retirement benefits available to County employees in domestic partnerships.

Currently, the County Executive is leading a critical effort to refurbish and preserve the century-old Criminal Courthouse on South Broad Street. Having achieved great success with preserving other historic structures such as the Louis I. Kahn Bath House in Ewing, Hughes has advocated for recognition of the Courthouse as a historic building, with the goal of protecting this rich piece of Mercer County history for future generations.

In cooperation with the Mercer County Improvement Authority, the County Executive has continued to encourage County residents to keep our environment pristine. Hughes tripled the number of MCIA "Disposal Days," which give residents the opportunity to properly dispose of hazardous and electronic waste. Hughes also restructured the County Office of Economic Development by adding a sustainability component, which seeks to find new ways to promote green living in the County.

Hughes is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College. He lives in Princeton Township and is married to Pamela Rago Hughes. The couple has one son, Sullivan.