18. Thomas DiNapoli

After a decade in the Assembly, this Great Neck Democrat has a solid track record and some friends in Albany. As chairman of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee, DiNapoli paved the way for $83 million in state grants to local governments that will be used to improve the waters and preserve the natural resources of Long Island Sound, its bays and harbors. Should Eliot Spitzer win his expected gubernatorial bid, DiNapoli is widely rumored to be Spitzer’s first choice for lieutenant governor.