One of the most polarizing and controversial figures in American history is urban planner Robert Moses. Jeffrey Pfeffer, in his book Managing with Power, notes that Moses was included in Life magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the twentieth century, along with Roosevelt, Churchill, Gandhi, and Einstein (83). Pfeffer states, "I suspect that if I asked you to choose a position in which you could wield enormous power, you would probably not pick the job of parks commissioner...but Robert Moses was arguably the most powerful public official in the United States during the twentieth century" (83). During his 44-year career, Moses built "12 bridges, 35 highways, 751 playgrounds, 13 golf courses, 18 swimming pools, and more than two million acres of parks in New York" (Pfeffer 83). Among the public structures he built were the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the United Nations Headquarters, and Shea Stadium. Of the many bridges and tunnels were the Triborough Bridge and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. The roads included the Long Island Expressway and Grand Central Parkway, and the beaches included Coney Island, Rockaway, and Jones Beach (Pfeffer 84).
Like other powerful figures of his day, Moses "realized that various kinds of resources, including allies, are vitally important as sources of power" (83). Moses accomplished as much as he did in part because of his ability to leverage local government resources and influence. Pfeffer groups Moses with those who can "create resources virtually out of thin air," a skill he ascribes to "the ability to recognize the fundamental things that people in a given situation want and need, and then to create a resource that will give one access to and control over them" (84). Pfeffer compares Moses with the other power brokers of his day and notes that Moses "realized that various kinds of resources, including allies, are vitally important as sources of power" (...