1. Steve Levy

Levy has helped Suffolk County clean up its act, both fiscally and environmentally, conserving energy consumption, cutting taxes, preserving land and reducing the enormous county deficit. Perhaps even more impressive: Levy has managed to win endorsements from both major parties without ever changing his stance on controversial issues such as immigration. After winning re-election with a record-setting majority, this unwavering Democrat announced a new set of battles for 2008. The county exec is pushing to turn brownfields into solar fields as well as introducing an e-waste recycling program and Credits for Caring, which would provide a semester’s worth of free tuition to Suffolk Community College students who do volunteer work and help out local humanitarian causes. Another new program is his 10-year plan to end homelessness. Ambitious? Of course, but this guy has a habit of getting things done, and that’s something both Democrats and Republicans can agree on.