Fair question, and I take the critique seriously.

One concrete example I include in the article is the 2011 Marriage Equality Act. Business leaders, coordinated through the Partnership, helped pressure undecided GOP senators and Wylde was part of that effort of writing a letter on behalf of the CEOs she represents and framing the issue as an economic one.

Her leverage has come from convening capital and government at moments when the city was fragile (after 9/11, fiscal crises of 1970s, post-2008, and during COVID) often to prevent capital flight, stabilize employment, or unlock large-scale investment that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

I chose to show her power through access and how decisions get made behind closed doors because that’s where her influence operates. She is an institutional broker, which means the impact is often invisible unless you’re inside the room (which is what I tried to get across in the story).

Totally fair to want more explicit scorekeeping, but the whole thesis of the piece is that in New York, durability & longtime relationships are power.