On paper, David Wildstein’s title at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was “Director of Interstate Capital Projects.” But many who worked there knew his real job — a post created just for him in 2010 — was to further Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s agenda inside the agency.

That role gave Wildstein an influence that outstripped his bureaucratic title. He led efforts to give New Jersey officials more sway over authority operations. And he was seen as having unsurpassed connections to Christie’s inner circle.