City Hall)
A mayor that the NY Times once called "ambitious," Pappas was born in Astoria, and leans on his native status and skilled and passionate (albeit often phony) speechmaking to connect with New Yorkers. This guy wouldn't let the governor bigfoot him, and he's seemingly always working connections behind the scenes. He'd be entering a new term with a worn-down idealism, which is to be expected from any seasoned politician.
The Mayor (James Gandolfini in
The Taking of Pelham 123, 2009)
Unlike some mayors, this one takes the subway (though has been called a "douchebag" by at least one fellow straphanger). Love him or hate him, he handled a high-pressure hostage situation that threatened the life of New Yorkers, all while taking shots from the hostage-taker (who called him a "philandering asshole"). While his tactics may be questionable at times (agreeing to deliver a ransom), he gets the job done. He also threw his full support behind MTA employee Walter Garber, who ultimately saved the day, and promised to "go to bat" him after Garber had admitted to accepting a bribe.