The Passing of a CSAC Icon: Former Executive Director Steve Szalay Passes Away at Age 81  

This guest commentary was authored by David Liebler, Retired Director of Public Affairs & Member Services.

California Counties lost an icon recently with the passing of former CSAC Executive Director Steve Szalay at the age of 81. His commitment to, and passion for, local government left an indelible imprint on our communities from Alpine to Los Angeles Counties. 

During his 10 years as Executive Director (1995-2004), Steve turned CSAC into a force at the Capitol while developing and enhancing a menu of programs and services that to this day help counties better serve their communities. 

Steve truly understood the challenge of keeping the interests of each CSAC caucus front and center — and treating them equally. His understanding and respect for all 58 counties stems from the first half of his career, when he served as County Administrative Officer for both rural and urban counties. This helped him develop a strong grasp of the diverse needs and commonalities among our counties. 

During an interview in the late 1990s, Steve was asked how he knew he was effectively leading California’s counties. He replied in jest, “When all three caucuses are mad at me.” In other words, he was always working on behalf of all counties – not just a chosen few. 

Steve’s crowning achievement as CSAC Executive Director was the overwhelming passing of Prop. 1A in November 2004 just weeks before his retirement. Designed to protect local governments revenues from being forcibly transferred to the state government, Prop. 1A was passed by California voters by an overwhelming 84%. This was a milestone victory for California’s counties, ending an ongoing and frustrating process of the state taking critical local government funding to fill budget shortfalls. 

During Steve’s tenure, CSAC saw its corporate program take root, expanding into a wide variety of much-needed programs and services available to our 58 counties. The program blossomed from a handful of corporate partners to more than 100 in a few short years. And the CSAC Finance Corporation, under the leadership of Steve and Deputy Executive Director Norma Lammers, also began to expand its portfolio. Pooled purchasing, tax-exempt bonds and deferred compensation programs all became regular “go-to” tools for counties. Growth of these programs brought new sources of revenue into the Association, decreasing the dependency on member dues. 

It was also under Steve’s leadership that the “CSAC family” concept truly took hold. Staff saw CSAC as a special place to work and strong relationships were built, not only among each other, but with county supervisors as well. Many of those relationships continue today. 

When Steve took on a project, he was “all in” – no matter how big or small. For example, during the inaugural Sacramento River Cats season, he was invited to throw out the first pitch at a home game. A former college ball player, Steve wanted to ensure he threw his best so he warmed up in the CSAC parking lot the day of the game. And, of course, he threw a strike on that first pitch. 

When asked to describe Steve Szalay, the word “mentor” quickly comes up, and that mentorship continued beyond his time at the Association. Former Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, a longtime member of the CSAC Executive Committee and Past President, worked closely with Steve throughout his tenure at the Association.  

“Steve was a teacher and a mentor to me, I felt like every time I had a chance to be around Steve, I was constantly attending a class not just in county government but local government as well,” Keith explained. “He played a crucial role in my political development, teaching me to study other points of view on every issue and every argument that came before the Board of Supervisors.” 

Even after retiring from CSAC, Steve kept working on behalf of California’s counties. He served as Interim Sacramento County Executive at a time when the county needed an experienced and steady hand. Steve also served as Executive Director of the California State Sheriffs’ Association and took on numerous complex statewide assignments. He worked for the state as well, as a special advisor for State Parks and advised the Department of Finance on the challenging process of redevelopment dissolution. 

Steve and his wife Diane Cummins, one of California’s foremost experts on local government, created an incredibly special team — on both personal and professional levels. 

In 2016, Steve was honored with the CSAC Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to county government and public service across California. It was a well-deserved honor. 

“Steve was thoughtful, strategic, and a stable force throughout his 40-plus year career of making government work better,” said CSAC CEO Graham Knaus. “For many of us, however, it’s Steve’s guidance and reflections that have impacted us as leaders and as people.” 

Perhaps the words of the individual who worked side by side with Steve for his decade of public service at CSAC summed it up best. Sue Ronkowski served as his executive assistant and knew him as well as anyone. 

“He was my mentor and my friend – and our close friendship continued until his passing,” Sue said. “His caring nature, sense of humor and commitment to the people of California was unrivaled. We live in a better world because of Steve. And he will be sorely missed.” 

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David Liebler had the privilege of working under Steve Szalay for seven years as the Association’s Director of Public Affairs & Member Services.