Most Influential Non-Elected Alabamians, Introduction

Who are the most influential, non-elected Alabamians in the realm of Alabama politics and policy?

Who can pick up the ball on an idea and move it down the field? Who are the movers and shakers that make things happen? Who has influence and wields it in the arena of politics and policy?

I solicited input from a broad range of elected officials representing every branch of government and political insiders including lobbyists, consultants, policy folks, and party people. This list and its comments could not have been made without their considerable input, and I thank them. Almost 20 people in all contributed, and this list is their product.

A caveat for your consideration: One lobbyist told me that no matter how good the list is, there is probably someone in the shadows pulling some strings that no one knows about.

That said, let’s get on with what we have.

The list here will be in tiers of ten names but unranked within the tiers, except for the final ten which is ranked. Every contributor realized what a difficult task we had undertaken, and the idea behind ranking the names in tiers is that a discussion here of what is power in the realm of Alabama politics and policy, who has it, and how is it wielded in general terms seemed far more interesting than getting bogged down in an argument of whether John Somebody should be ranked 37th or 34th. As one contributor offered, “If the debate is over what tier a name belongs in, I think you’ll get more substantative debate about influence, strength, etc.”

Part One is next.

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