Harris County Judge Ed Emmett delivered his fifth State of the County Address to the Greater Houston Partnership on Wednesday. 

GHP Chair Anthony Chase welcomed the large audience and introduced the
elected officials in the room.
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Irma Diez-Gonzalez introduced Judge Emmett. Listen: MP3  RealPlayer

Emmett recognized the work of past county officials and introduced key officials in the current county government and said that the state of Harris County is good, "far better than most governmental entities." Listen: MP3 RealPlayer

Emmett said Harris County is a county of substance.

“Harris County is different from other governmental entities, even other counties,” he said.  “Our 4 million residents are remarkably diverse.  Those who have lived here for very long know that; and those who think, understand that it’s a very good thing.”

Emmett acknowledged several high-profile scandals involving county officials in 2011, and said that the county "must find a way to prevent unethical behavior as much as possible and to establish clear channels for uncovering and reporting such behavior when it occurs."

However, Emmett was optimistic about the future.

"Years from now, if we do our job well," Emmett said, "a future county judge will stand before an even bigger crowd and speak of an even larger, more prosperous county."