22. Martin Scheinman

Who? Well, if you are not a member of the Nassau County Legislature, a union official or a county executive, you are not alone when you ask that question. But to be blunt, Martin Scheinman, or “Uncle Marty” as he is known in high-powered circles, is the man behind the contracts. Time and again, union and county officials have sat in offices, board rooms and especially the confines of Scheinman’s Sands Point home to hammer out labor deals that affect thousands of employees and millions of taxpayers every year. He is well-liked by both sides and has a reputation of working hard to find agreeable middle ground in fiery contract fights that often spend weeks in the media or on the floor of the legislature before he is called to step in. A true power player in every sense of the word, Scheinman is the ultimate deal maker. And you probably didn’t even know who he was until now.