48. Nancy Rauch Douzinas

The Rauch Foundation’s Long Island Index, an annual regional status report, has become a buzz-generator among pols, policy wonks and advocates of all stripes. Most of the research comes from else- where, like NYPIRG, the LI Regional Planning Board, Stony Brook University’s Center for Survey Research, and govern- ment, with Rauch funding the collation and analysis of data. So far, though, the index doesn’t seem to be telling us any- thing we don’t know. Yep, houses are too expensive, com- mutes too long. As the first stop for facts and figures about LI, Rauch should have pushed the envelope by tackling new issues this year.