The governor is the central figure in Virginia and Florida's political system. The governor is expected to establish the state's legislative agenda through the preparation of the executive budget request and actively participate in the legislature's deliberations both on budgetary matters and state policy initiatives. Moreover, state executive departments expect the governor to establish administrative goals and implementation strategies and Virginia and Florida's citizens expect the governor to provide political leadership and guidance.
Governors are, with the exception of the United States President, the most visible political figure in every state. West Virginians' knowledge of their state government elected officials' names is about the same as the national average. In a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Public Affairs at Virginia University, “91.5 percent of Virginia residents correctly named the Governor of Virginia. Only 13.7 percent of Virginia residents correctly named the Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and only 7.4 percent correctly named the President of the state Senate” (Web 1).
The governor's visibility places him or her in a unique and somewhat precarious political situation. The governor is often praised or blamed for what occurs within the state's borders, regardless of his or her role in determining the outcome of those events. Often, forces far beyond the governor’s control influence these events. For example, national economic trends and natural disasters can have a significant impact on the state government's fiscal capacity to provide public services. Moreover, all governors operate within a federal system of government, which is increasingly being dominated by federal policy makers. State budget priorities are often determined, at least in part, by the availability of federal grants-in-aid funds and by federal mandates. In addition, regulatory conditions attached to federal grants-in-aid funds often shape implementation strategies and state administrative procedures..................
