3. James Dolan

Best known as the powerful lead singer and guitarist of the JD & The Straight Shot—the only local rock band on LI led by a billionaire—Cablevision Systems Corporation founder Charles Dolan’s son earned street cred for taking over his dad’s business 20 years ago. Although this Bethpage-based cable company’s stockholders recently approved of its sale to Altice, a multinational telecommunications giant, Dolan remains in charge of one of only two Fortune 500 companies on Long Island until that deal is expected to close and get regulatory approval next year. And once that deal closes—taking Cablevision media assets Newsday and News12 with it—Jim Dolan will have more time to focus on his other job as chairman of the Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the New York Knicks NBA team and New York Rangers NHL team, plus several other properties. That’ll give him even tighter control over LI sports fans’ heartstrings.