How about this For the next three decades Goldschmidt was widely considered the most influential figure in Oregon politics both in his capacity as an elected public official and as a private lobbyist and policy consultant Please note that this is intended to pair with the following sentence which clearly indicates that his reputation took a hit from the revelation of the statutury rape and coverup Also the intro needs to cover the big points but not back them up fully I think it s fine if nuances are left to the sections below Agreed