13. Matt Crosson
2004 Power List
As a businessman and president of the Long Island Association (LIA), Crosson is well-connected, and with last year’s merger of LIA with Long Island Executives (LIX), his group has grown even larger. Although he lost some clout in last year’s budget battle, he is credited with single-handedly getting an affordable housing bill passed in the Assembly, and now he’s attacking the school-tax issue.