We all know the root cause of the problems: entrenched interests whose first priority is to maintain their hold on power. This is why you keep seeing the Giambras and the Masiellos and Hoyts and Naples and ... keep getting elected. And they make sure to pad the County (and City) payroll with their buddies, whose main job is to get their paymasters get elected in the next election.
Therefore, why not impose term limits for the following: County Executive; Mayor; County Legislature, and Common Council? No one should be allowed to run for more than 2 consecutive terms?
Until the root causes of these problems are eliminated, the problems won't go away. We're just playing Whack-a-mole here, without a long-term solution in sight.