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pow·er Pronunciation: pau’( )r Function: noun 1 a (1): ability to act or produce an effect (2): ability to get extra-base hits
Merriam-Webster’s first definition of “power,” as above, certainly lined up with the standards of C-VILLE writers when we set out to create our first Power Yearbook. Looking at who has the ability to make things happen, we considered five areas of local life: Food & Wine, Development, Government, UVA and the Arts. Then we considered the sources of power. Is it money? Yes, but not only money. Network counts for a lot and office was a consideration, too. The guy who sits in the big chair at the biggest employer in town has power whether he’s a newcomer or a veteran in the position. Expertise? Check. We considered reputation as a factor, too. That could be a positive or negative influence, depending. You can get what you want either by dint of a sweet nature, or, just as likely, because you’re reputed to have a short fuse.
But as to the dictionary’s second meaning of “power”—that one we just didn’t consider. When it comes to Charlottesville’s leaders, we know our game, for sure, but when it comes to Albert Pujoles or Ryan Howard, we admit, we’re a bit out of our league.
—By J. Tobias Beard, Chiara Canzi, Brendan Fitzgerald, Will Goldsmith, Erika Howsare, Katherine Ludwig and Caite White
