Some were elected to statewide office in another life. Some are former law partners to government influentials. Some manage statewide election campaigns for key officials. All have impeccable contacts inside state government and considerably more influence than many registered lobbyists on how the state budget is spent. They wheel and deal at the top of state government.
Nobody knows who they see or what strings they pull for themselves and their clients.
When a registered lobbyist takes a legislator to a ballgame or buys breakfast, that transaction has to be reported to the ethics commission. That is only fair because you have a right to know who is influencing the expenditures of your tax dollars. What isn't fair is that a contractor can provide a vacation home to an elected official and doesn't have to report it. Contractors and consultants can quietly apply their considerable clout with state agencies, trumping registered lobbyists who don't have the same access. If you're looking to blame someone for this state of affairs, you'll have no shortage of targets.