23. Mark Lesko

Since the winter of 2009 Mark Lesko has been elected Brookhaven supervisor three times. This former federal prosecutor must be doing something right. Besides giving the town a renewed reputation for government integrity, Lesko’s frozen taxes and reduced spending, while managing to jump-start economic development with the Brookhaven Rail Terminal, join with the Town of Islip to redevelop the Ronkonkoma Hub, and bring in the Accelerate Long Island program to help high-tech start-up companies take root. Lesko may have gotten more than his feet wet trying to save his Carmans River plan but at least he’s keeping his head above water despite some turbulent community opposition—and he’s headed in the right direction.