Moses notably preferred automobile traffic as opposed to mass transit, and always made it a big deal that he had in his earlier years served in many public offices without pay, lived lavishly and usually tipped (enriched) those people who sided with him and helped him, especially in his affairs. These are some of the measures he took that are considered bureaucratic because he did not consult with the state council or mayor.
For example, he could collect tolls from New York residents and use the money in the construction of roads, bridges and parks, arguing that the same people will use the facilities anyway. He used these opportunities to develop his leadership skills and did his things bureaucratically. He achieved this when different mayors appointed him to take charge of various departments such as head of parks around New York, co-coordinator in charge of constructions and in fact at one time, he held 12 different leadership positions. Through this, Moses became powerful because he ended up acquiring power belonging to those he was supposed to be responsive to. With many people seeking him, Moses self-imposed himself as an unofficial (and unelected) bureaucratic leader, a position he used to gain power and even managed to make some of the leaders on top of him, his subjects. He, however, charged them extravagant prices, taking advantage of his skills, reputation and popularity. With time, various projects and contractors such as Verrazano Narrows Bridge started seeking him for his skill in bridges, roads and parks’ construction. Moses kept on expanding his knowledge in matters of administration, power and public relations through interaction with influential people and those in power, and in the 1930s, Moses had already earned himself a good reputation in the construction of big and appealing parks around the city and across New York State.
The description of the city before Robert Moses shows a city that was underdeveloped and had minimal growth, poor transportation means and unplanned social amenities such as parks. This is knowledge he really needed because he had a plan of building roads and bridges across the city. During this working period, Moses gained skill, knowledge and experience, in matters of politics and learned how power worked and was delegated. After that, he got another chance to work for the then New York mayor, Jimmy Walker in the state senate. Although he failed to deliver as the appointed advocate, he later got a chance to work for Al Smith, the then governor for New York County in the New York State Assembly. In the book The Power Broker Caro looks at the life of Moses, the main character, from his childhood days, to his later years when he was an advocate of reforms to progress New York City, which by then had a corrupt civil service system.
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