When Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano made clear he was seeking $60 million in concessions from county employees to close a $176-million projected budget gap this year, of the five unions that represent county employees, only one had a leader who didn’t bother with the wait-and-see approach. James Carver held the police line, vowed that his members have already given enough back and took the county to court after a wage freeze was imposed. And he did all of this while coordinating benefit funds for the families of two officers lost in the line of duty in a five-week span, including a highway patrolman killed in a crash and an elite Bureau of Special Operations officer hit by friendly fire.
Click here to see the entire 2011 Long Island Press Power List
Click here to see the full Long Island Press Power List Hall of Fame