Who You Should Get to Know

Ask a dozen elected officials, public affairs consultants, or journalists to name 50 of Seattle's most influential and least widely known power brokers and you'll surely get a dozen different lists. One observer's mover-and-shaker is another's wannabe.

To reduce the role of subjectivity in divining the difference, we scoured corporate filings, directorships of arts and other nonprofit organizations, newspaper morgues, campaign contribution reports, government documents, foundation donor and beneficiary lists, online databases, and the leadership and membership of numerous civic, industry, and advocacy groups. We consulted insiders and, when necessary, factored in our own judgment to distinguish the movers-and-shakers from the wannabes.

Here, then, are 50 people whose names you may have skimmed in the paper, noticed on a building facade, or seen on a business card in a restaurant's free-lunch fishbowl, but whose way of making their living and—more importantly—making their mark on Seattle's political and corporate stages may be mysterious to you. Our intent is to inform the community about a select group of individuals who have chosen to devote much of their lives to interacting with that community, whether to gain political power, financial reward, social status, or—as is usually the case—a combination of all three.

A word on sources: Board memberships were gleaned from the most recently available government filings and organization material. Campaign contribution figures were pulled from city, county, and state election records; institutional contributions are included for individuals empowered to make such decisions on behalf of their organizations. Other professional and personal information was collected from published reports, interviews, reference material, online sources, and reporters' files. Research assistance by Catherine Tarpley.

• Who you should get to know...
• Who you already know...
• The Ruckelshaus connection
• The Media and the Establishment
• Toadies, wannabes, and second bananas
• Unequal Opportunty