A Chief Executive That Will Stand up for Florida's Interest
FLGov, Florida 11:17 AM
by Brian Graham
As a CEO you have many responsibilities. There is a board of directors, an executive staff, employees, shareholders and the public, all of whom you are accountable. Each set of stakeholders has a list of priorities and issues in which they are invested; as a CEO, it is your responsibility to understand, evaluate, and at times implement these priorities. Simultaneously, you must formulate and advance your agenda for the future success of your company. The most difficult issue facing any CEO is how to navigate these agendas and make decisions in the best interest of the company.
As Governor, Rick Scott has taken this approach as the chief executive of our state. Education, taxes, and entitlements have hundreds of interest groups, lobbyists, businesses, and politicians invested and seeking to advance their own agenda. In response, the Governor, like any great CEO, has listened to all the interested parties to understand their goals. Like any great CEO the Governor has his own plans for reforming these areas and like any great CEO he must stand up to these parties when their interests are not in the best interest of the state.
Public education is meant to serve the students but for years, unions, not teachers, have dictated to our state government what is best “for the children”. Our governor has listened to the unions, the school boards, the teachers and others that want to advance education policy. After considering the options, he made one of the hardest executive decisions in his political career; he ended tenure and tied teacher salaries to performance.
With revenue shortfalls and interests groups competing for state dollars, it appeared that there was no room for tax cuts. Governor Scott understood that cutting taxes is the first step to making Florida a desirable place for businesses to invest. While he received serious criticism, he made it a priority for our legislature to enact tax cuts to encourage growth and increase the potential for future revenue.
State entitlements for healthcare are difficult to fund, whether the economy is good or bad. Considering revenue shortfalls and looming costs, healthcare programs were in desperate need of attention. Governor Scott did not cower to special interests or fear negative publicity, rather he made a difficult decision to ensure Florida’s future and financial well-being. Through reforming Medicaid, he cut out the middleman, allowing patients and providers to make decisions on healthcare.
While his actions at times are misrepresented as “inexperienced” or “unpopular,” the chief executive of our state was elected to make decisions that are tough. He is not working to be the “most liked governor” or, the “interest group governor”; he is working to make our state the best it can be. Winston Churchill once said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” While we may not have a career politician, we have a chief executive that will stand up for Florida’s interest, and in the long run, we will be better for it.
Brian Graham is the Co-Owner of Dixie Strategies, LLC, a Florida-based political consulting firm.
Become a Drawnlines Politics insider today.
As a CEO you have many responsibilities. There is a board of directors, an executive staff, employees, shareholders and the public, all of whom you are accountable. Each set of stakeholders has a list of priorities and issues in which they are invested; as a CEO, it is your responsibility to understand, evaluate, and at times implement these priorities. Simultaneously, you must formulate and advance your agenda for the future success of your company. The most difficult issue facing any CEO is how to navigate these agendas and make decisions in the best interest of the company.
As Governor, Rick Scott has taken this approach as the chief executive of our state. Education, taxes, and entitlements have hundreds of interest groups, lobbyists, businesses, and politicians invested and seeking to advance their own agenda. In response, the Governor, like any great CEO, has listened to all the interested parties to understand their goals. Like any great CEO the Governor has his own plans for reforming these areas and like any great CEO he must stand up to these parties when their interests are not in the best interest of the state.
Public education is meant to serve the students but for years, unions, not teachers, have dictated to our state government what is best “for the children”. Our governor has listened to the unions, the school boards, the teachers and others that want to advance education policy. After considering the options, he made one of the hardest executive decisions in his political career; he ended tenure and tied teacher salaries to performance.
With revenue shortfalls and interests groups competing for state dollars, it appeared that there was no room for tax cuts. Governor Scott understood that cutting taxes is the first step to making Florida a desirable place for businesses to invest. While he received serious criticism, he made it a priority for our legislature to enact tax cuts to encourage growth and increase the potential for future revenue.
State entitlements for healthcare are difficult to fund, whether the economy is good or bad. Considering revenue shortfalls and looming costs, healthcare programs were in desperate need of attention. Governor Scott did not cower to special interests or fear negative publicity, rather he made a difficult decision to ensure Florida’s future and financial well-being. Through reforming Medicaid, he cut out the middleman, allowing patients and providers to make decisions on healthcare.
While his actions at times are misrepresented as “inexperienced” or “unpopular,” the chief executive of our state was elected to make decisions that are tough. He is not working to be the “most liked governor” or, the “interest group governor”; he is working to make our state the best it can be. Winston Churchill once said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” While we may not have a career politician, we have a chief executive that will stand up for Florida’s interest, and in the long run, we will be better for it.
Brian Graham is the Co-Owner of Dixie Strategies, LLC, a Florida-based political consulting firm.
Become a Drawnlines Politics insider today.
Posted by Nick Stone
on 11:17 AM.
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