49. James Carver


Carver was elected in 2008 to take over for his predecessor, Gary Dela Raba, and was tested immediately. Last year, then-Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi asked for and won concessions from the five unions that represent county employees in order to help close the county’s budget gap—despite the fact that the PBA had just negotiated their new contract. Carver and his members came out of the renegotiation relatively unscathed, having avoided 200 layoffs with buyouts instead. But word has it that newly elected County Executive Ed Mangano might ask the PBA and other unions for more givebacks, which would test Carver’s political clout once again.