This year it was a two-man race for Best Mayor. But while St. Paul's Chris Coleman is a highly capable mayor angling for a gubernatorial spot, that pesky RNC get-together hurt his overall score. Not so for über-fit mayor R.T. Rybak, who is guiding Minneapolis to new heights. During his tenure, crime has gone down, the city has maintained one of the state's lowest unemployment rates, and mass transit continues to grow. R.T. also brought a cross-country ski race into the city, the popular City of Lakes Loppet, and during the push to rebuild I-35W he made certain the bridge was built with public transit in mind. He has a game-show-host-worthy smile to boot, and he is even a former journalist (always a plus in our book). But the year ahead will test his mettle. Revenues are down and foreclosures are spreading across town like an ugly case of gout. Will R.T. be up to the challenge? Of course he will. He's the best damn mayor around.