Peter Schorsch
The link to the latest edition of INFLUENCE Magazine went live at 4 a.m. today. By 4:05 a.m., the emails and texts were already coming in about who should have or who should not have been included in the INFLUENCE 100 list of the most powerful people in Florida politics (not in elected office).
As I write in the publisher’s note, the responsibility for the list lies with me. I made the final decisions about who was and was not included. Intellectually, it was an extraordinary challenge. I wrestled with the list for almost two months. I am prepared to defend every decision, although I hope I won’t have to. That said, I will be discussing and writing a lot more about the INFLUENCE 100 because a) it’s fun and b) in doing so, I have the chance to improve upon the list next year.
That’s right, there will be an INFLUENCE 100 next year. I might even rank it.
In the meantime, I have to confess that Chris Dudley and Alia Faraj-Johnson are the two most glaring omissions from the INFLUENCE 100. Yes, I included them in the “D’oh” section, but they probably deserve more than even that.
Of course, neither of them will protest the snub. In fact, they’re two of the people most likely to send a note of congratulations on the publication of the magazine. And both of them wrote testimonials about other people on the INFLUENCE 100.
But Chris and Alia deserve just an extra mention. Dudley for his work managing the largest lobbying firm in the state, if not the country. He’s a major player in the legislative process, in the fundraising arena, and, by almost all accounts, is one of the nicest people in “The Process.”
As for Faraj-Johnson, she has taken an already great brand – Hill+Knowlton – and made it even better. I study the political/public affairs business as closely as anyone and it’s safe to say H+K is one of the top three public affairs firms in Florida politics. Since Faraj-Johnson joined the firm, it’s now competitive on almost every RFP. Heck, H+K just won another major account with its signing of U.S. Sugar.
So Chris and Alia, I hope you will forgive me and understand the limitations I was up against. Neither of you need me to tell you how influential you are: It’s obvious.
