As we prepare to ring in the New Year, we here a PolitickerMA.com took a few moments to reflect on what has been an eventful 2008. After surveying several political insiders and observers, here is our breakdown of the Top 11 - cause we couldn't stop at 10 - political stories of the past year.

What did we leave out? The comments section awaits below.

Happy New Year.

Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner arrested on corruption charges - This one almost goes without saying and, in many ways, sums up a year that was marked by corruption and scandal. Wilkerson and Turner's arrest "cast a cloud over our entire system," one insider told PolitickerMA.com. "For regular folks in tough times, their faith gets shaken."

Of course, in addition to Wilkerson (who resigned from the State Senate) and Turner (who has fiercely refused to resign from the City Council), state Sen. James Marzilli was arrested for allegedly harassing multiple women in Lowell and later resigned only after it was discovered he represented the State Senate at an environmental panel in Germany. And who can forget about Middlesex Register of Probate John Buonomo's resignation after being charged for stealing change from copy machines.

DiMasi's connections to Vitale fuel battle to become the next speaker - The ongoing saga surrounding House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and his relationship with confidant and accountant Richard Vitale has become the top issue going into the new year. Vitale has been indicted for allegedly illegally lobbying on behalf of a ticket brokers' association by improperly contacting DiMasi. On top of that, a federal grand jury is now investigating the awarding of a multi-million dollar state contract to Cognos ULC, which reportedly paid Vitale to lobby on its behalf. Uncertainly surrounding how secure DiMasi's re-election as speaker next year has begun to crop up, and state Reps. Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) and John Rogers (D-Norwood) have been actively (and publicly) working to secure enough support to be the next speaker, though many observers say Rogers was wounded by his own ethical problems.

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy's battle with brain cancer - When the Hyannis Port Democrat and Liberal Lion of the Senate fell ill this year, the state rallied around him. Kennedy, who has served in the Senate for more than 40 years, gave a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention and has since reduced his workload to focus on health care reform in the next Congress as he continues treatment.

Casino failure - Repercussions of the failure of Gov. Deval Patrick's casino proposal, one of his top priorities when he entered office, continue to be felt today. Many observers continue to question whether Patrick's relationship with Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has recovered since, despite reports that it has. In fact, more than one Beacon Hill insider suggested that DiMasi's current ethics problems and the stories surrounding them may be rooted in that fight. On the flip side, another observer noted that the failure of the bill and his jetting to New York to sell his book the day the bill failed, had a devastating effect on Patrick during the first half of 2008.

"His job approval numbers cratered after this stunt," the observer noted. "Plus it infuriated the press corps that was essentially lied to about where he was."

And let's not forget that the casino issue is likely to come up again next year.

Sonia Chang-Diaz beats Dianne Wilkerson in primary - In what was undoubtedly the most watched state legislature primary this year, Sonia Chang-Diaz avenged her loss in 2006 by defeating state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson in a primary where they were both on the ballot by one of the narrowest margins of the election. The race, which was charged in just about every way imaginable, spurred Wilkerson's to launch a sticker campaign for the general election, which was cut short by her arrest. Among the most interesting turns of the race: Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, who, let's not forget, is charged with conspiracy with Wilkerson, blasts Chang-Diaz, then apologizes; Wilkerson pulls a website switcheroo; Wilkerson faced disbarment proceedings; and ballots were lost in the primary recount.

Dems expand majority in state Legislature - With an already sizable majority in both chambers, the Massachusetts Democrats and Chairman John Walsh managed to pick up three seats in the state House of Representatives while defending every incumbent. Just to reiterate: The Democrats picked up every seat vacated by a Republican and not a single Democrat incumbent lost in Massachusetts.

More, not a single Republican incumbent face a serious primary challenger. Republican Dan Haley's loss to Democrat Carolyn Dykema in the race for Republican Paul Loscocco's seat was particularly devastating to Republicans who viewed Haley as an up-and-coming rising star. As one Republican operative said, "Absent the presidential election year and Obama, Haley would have won along with a few other Republicans." Which brings us to...

Massachusetts Dems Obama campaign - Democrats ran an impressive campaign in Massachusetts that broke recent state turnout records despite most of their efforts being directed toward other states. The party had a large phone bank that called nearly a dozen other states on Election Day. In particular, Bay State Democrats had a significant impact in New Hampshire. One GOP operative that worked on U.S. Sen. John Sununu's campaign told PolitickerMA.com that on any given weekend at least 6,000 Democrats from out of the state were volunteering next door in the Granite State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry adopted Nashua with his troops. One Democratic operative said that New Hampshire was the most called state in the country as a result of the party's efforts. Massachusetts' residents also contributed heavily to Obama. Lead by finance chair Alan Solomont, the Bay State gave the most per capita of any state in the country.

Clinton wins Mass. primary in landslide ­- What is perhaps most shocking about the way Bay State Democrats turned out to help Obama is that they propelled U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton to a 15-point victory in the commonwealth's presidential primary. Her win led to an apparent rift in the party, especially considering Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Edward Kennedy all backed Obama. That tension played through the convention, as Attorney General Martha Coakley and State Senate President Therese Murray (among many others) cast their votes as delegates for Clinton. Following Clinton's primary win, one observer noted, "women rebelled against Kerry, Kennedy and Patrick for backing Obama over Clinton."

Kerry, Patrick passed over by Obama - Despite Gov. Deval Patrick's reportedly close relationship with Obama and Kerry's well-timed endorsement following Obama's loss in New Hampshire, neither were tapped for cabinet posts. Patrick was often rumored to be under consideration for attorney general, though he repeatedly stated he wasn't interested in heading to Washington, D.C. Kerry was on the shortlist for secretary of state from the beginning and, despite his public statements to the contrary, well-placed sources say he was lobbying for the job right up until Hillary Clinton emerged as the top contender.

Question 1 goes down in flames, Question 2 and 3 succeed despite major opponents - Several political insiders noted that it is hard to overstate the success of the "No on Question 1" campaign. Winning by 40 percentage points on a question that had many on Beacon Hill worried, the campaign pulled off a larger margin of victory than John Kerry over Jeff Beatty and Barack Obama over John McCain in Massachusetts. Most notably, the "No" campaign raised significantly more money and put it to good use, airing numerous television commercials that highlighted the effects the question's success would have on the state.

As one political observer who backed the "no" campaign noted, "There is no question that ‘No on One' was a transformative campaign - less a political campaign than an education campaign. Turns out Massachusetts voters are not looking for some feel-good, magical-sounding bumper sticker solution to tough times. They can handle the truth."

Other observers noted that the failure of the bill underscored the impotence of the anti-tax movement, which was once thought to be significant. It also, others said, opened the door for toll hikes and tax hikes coming from Beacon Hill. Meanwhile, a ballot measure that decriminalized possession of less than an ounce of marijuana earned a 30 percent point victory despite the opposition of many notable public officials, law enforcement and the Boston Globe. The measure continues to be controversial as officials try to figure out how to implement it on Friday. Question 3's success also surprised several observers since it took on the powerful dog racing tracks. Nevertheless, the Committee to Protect Dogs outraised and outspent the tracks and aired several powerful television ads that led to its 12 percentage point victory. And on top of that, the campaign even pointed out that the tracks made mistakes in their campaign strategy.

Gas tax vs. toll hikes - A late developing story that will undoubtedly carry over into next year is whether raising the state's gas tax or hiking up tolls is appropriate to help the state cope with its multi-billion dollar transportation debts. Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to double tolls on tunnels servicing Logan International Airport has infuriated East Boston residents and, it turns out, they are pretty good at organizing.

Numerous officials have come out to bash the governor's plan and that criticism only increased when Patrick discreetly named former Big Dig official James Aloisi as his new transportation secretary after bashing "Big Dig culture" during his 2006 campaign. Meanwhile, the gas tax has emerged as a viable alternative and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi quickly flexed his political muscle by backing it.

In any event, the governor and the Legislature appear to be heading for a fight next year and it will be one with political repercussions. And if things continue to get worse, look for more moves from Treasurer Tim Cahill about possibly challenging Patrick in 2010 and the emergence of a likely GOP contender.