12. Dean Skelos
2005 Power List
The one thing we can say about Skelos is that he knows how to bring home the bacon. And, for all the millions he has directed toward revitalizing Rockville Centre, Skelos was rewarded by voters for the 10th time last November, crushing Tom Suozzi’s sacrificial “Fix Albany” candidate. He fell in the rankings, though, because Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s refusal to step aside leaves Skelos, the No. 2 man in the Senate, a perennial bridesmaid.