Mr. Putin has moved quickly to rein in the governors, potentially powerful political forces who sometimes have run their regions as autocrats, almost independent of Moscow.
State governors are powerful, jealous of their prerogatives and often the kind of folk who, ahem, are glad that a governorship confers immunity from prosecution.Not only is the government starting to spend within its means; the reformers are also trying to ensure that public funds are spent more transparently.
That an acting governor serving simultaneously in the executive branch and legislative branch made the position of governor incredibly powerful and was a breach of the "separation of powers" between branches of the government.
Voters approved amendments that year that shrank the size of the state cabinet and made the governor more powerful.
But unlike chief executives of some other states, our governor is powerful and can appoint all judges and department commissioners and university regents, and can control the budget.
Another Republican, Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk of Westwood, conceded that the governor was powerful, but added, "The people are more powerful, and if he pushes this, he will be a one-term governor".
Because of the extent of these constitutional powers, the Governor of Maryland has been ranked as being among the most powerful Governors in the United States.
Perry has also been the longest-serving governor of Texas—and one of the state's most powerful governors in the modern era.
New York state has the most powerful governor, and the governor's office repeatedly was corrupting local lawmakers and shutting them up from talking about real issues because he holds the power of the purse.
And Nigeria's powerful governors, for the moment, are coalescing around the reform agenda.
