When local officials tout an era of new development, it’s due to private sector developers. When politicians praise the expanding tourism sector, the economic benefits are the result of hard work by business and nonprofit leaders. And when lawmakers point to the thriving local economy, major employers like hospitals and institutions of higher education are creating the new jobs.
Many of the individuals who carry out these tasks behind the scenes are not elected, but they are often just as powerful as the officials that are voted into office. In this issue, we identify some of these key players in Staten Island labor – “the Influentials.”