31. John Flanagan

As New York State Senate majority leader, John Flanagan has
ascended from chairman of the education committee to one of
the powerful so-called “Three Men in the Room,” replacing his
fellow Republican predecessor, the scandal-ridden Dean Skelos.
Flanagan is in charge of setting the legislative agenda, wielding
an enormous amount of influence on New Yorkers’ daily lives
in the process. He succeeded in maintaining a GO P majority
despite Democrats picking up a few seats in the 2016 election,
including one more for Long Island. The namesake of his late
father, who was an esteemed lawmaker, Flanagan has inherited
a legacy he is working to honor—from protecting our drinking
water to steering us toward more equitable distribution of state
school aid for our districts. No matter the decision or piece
of legislation before him, Long Islanders can rest assured this
hometown hero has constituents’ best interests in mind.