As first deputy mayor, Harris is Mayor Bloomberg's second in command. She runs this city whenever Bloomberg skips town for a quickie vacation.

Manhattan-bred Harris passed through Fieldston and Franklin & Marshall, then joined the Koch administration in 1978, eventually becoming director of the city's art commission. Following a stint in corporate PR at Rogers & Cowan, she spent seven years at Bloomberg L.P. as head of corporate communications and director of philanthropy. When Bloomberg was first elected mayor in 2001, he brought Harris along with him and made her his deputy mayor for administration. After his reelection in 2005, he promoted her to first deputy mayor, the highest position in his cabinet.

Harris is Bloomberg's closest advisor and confidante, and nothing gets done at City Hall without her having a say. Her primary responsibility is to make sure the mayor gets his way, whether he's fighting for his preferred plan for the World Trade Center memorial or trying to implement a ban on smoking in bars. But despite her much-vaunted ability to pressure and persuade, she's also Bloomberg's unofficial goodwill ambassador, calling and thanking other politicians, business leaders and anyone else who furthers the Bloomberg agenda. And when Bloomberg skips town for one of his frequent long weekends at his homes in Bermuda, London, or Vail, it's Patti he leaves in charge. Additionally, Harris oversees Bloomberg's philanthropic activities, a particularly grueling task given that he's pledged to give away all of his billions. [Image via Getty]