Public authorities can concentrate power beyond democratic accountability

Caro shows how Moses built much of his power through public authorities — entities created to finance and operate specific infrastructure like bridges or parks, funded by their own revenue such as tolls, rather than by annual legislative appropriation. Because these authorities controlled independent income streams, they didn't need to ask elected officials for money each year, which meant elected officials lost one of their few reliable levers of control.

Once an authority had bonds outstanding, Moses could argue that changing its structure or removing him from control might jeopardize the state's credit and its obligations to bondholders — a technical, financial argument that discouraged interference from governors who didn't want to be blamed for a fiscal crisis.

This mechanism let Moses operate largely outside the normal checks that apply to elected officials, building an empire of infrastructure and staff that answered to him more than to any voter or legislature. Takeaway: independent funding streams can insulate an official from democratic accountability just as effectively as any formal grant of unchecked power.