6. Richard C. Iannuzzi

He may have 600,000 union members standing behind him, but given the hot school budget battles Richard Iannuzzi faces around the state, he’d probably give anything to be back in Central Islip trying to get a warming classroom of fourth graders to forget that summer is coming. Unlike previous years, this union leader has had to watch while a Democratic governor challenges his union’s interests under the guise of a property tax cap that they both know would irrevocably impact the future of school funding. Since Iannuzzi became president in 2005, he’s been traveling hundreds of miles from his home in Smithtown to stay connected to his far-flung membership. He’s gone from drawing on the blackboards of an elementary school to tracking politicians through the corridors of the state Capitol. Helping maintain quality public education in an era of forced austerity may be the toughest assignment Iannuzzi has ever had to face. But if anyone can make the grade in this climate, it’s got to be him.