by B. » Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:53 pm
Doobeez wrote: ↑Sat Apr 22, 2017 11:56 am
I remember in one of the Bruno discussions, he mentions he, the boss, could put in anybody as his UB, but the Captains had to vote on who was to be considered for the Consigliere position. What is bugging me is, in those wiretapped meetings, was if Bruno and his Family being closely aligned with New York, would the big 5 have any influence on this decision at all, or was it kept in their family only?
Great thread here..
A few sources mention the consigliere needing to be elected by the membership. I don't remember Bruno himself mentioning anything about electing the consigliere, but in the recordings made of Riccobene, Narducci, Scarfo, and Testa after consigliere Rugnetta's death in the late 1970s, they talk about about how there is supposed to be a process for electing a consigliere but they feel that Bruno will basically appoint someone and only ask for votes from those who agree with him. One of them mentions that Bruno should at least ask the captains to vote since they represent the soldiers. Narducci, who refers to himself as one of the "capi", says he had been kept out of the loop. From other info, we know it is the rank and file who (supposedly) vote on the consigliere position since the consigliere is meant to represent the interests of the membership and not necessarily the boss. This seems to have been abandoned over time.
Riccobene says on this recording that he had never heard of multiple candidates being voted on for the consigliere spot, so we can assume like many mafia "elections", leading members scheme and consult each other "off the record" beforehand, put a name up, and everyone already agrees in advance to vote for him. The most famous example of this is when John Gotti was voted in as boss, but I would guess it's always gone on for any kind of mafia "election" going back to the beginning. It's what they do.
I find it strange in a transcript where Magaddino says he never took on a consigliere (at least to that point in time). It's like openly saying "I'm a dictator, deal with it," which knowing Magaddino, doesn't seem that far off the mark. You would think the Commission would ask him to take on a consigliere for appearances at least.
Going back to the Bonannos, I've wanted to know more about John Petrone. He was an old soldier in the Bronx and one report on MF claims he was named acting consigliere around the time the Bonanno problems were ramping up. I believe it says Joe Bonanno put him in this spot (acting consigliere may not need to be voted in?) and that Petrone then went to Carlo Gambino asking him for advice. This guy stands out to me because he is one of the earliest known Bronx-based Bonanno members and it's not entirely clear what role he played in the Bonanno situation of the 1960s. I would guess he had been a member of the Galante/Notaro crew, who were both Bonanno loyalists, but many members of this decina joined the DiGregorio faction.
[quote=Doobeez post_id=50440 time=1492887365 user_id=117]
I remember in one of the Bruno discussions, he mentions he, the boss, could put in anybody as his UB, but the Captains had to vote on who was to be considered for the Consigliere position. What is bugging me is, in those wiretapped meetings, was if Bruno and his Family being closely aligned with New York, would the big 5 have any influence on this decision at all, or was it kept in their family only?
Great thread here..
[/quote]
A few sources mention the consigliere needing to be elected by the membership. I don't remember Bruno himself mentioning anything about electing the consigliere, but in the recordings made of Riccobene, Narducci, Scarfo, and Testa after consigliere Rugnetta's death in the late 1970s, they talk about about how there is supposed to be a process for electing a consigliere but they feel that Bruno will basically appoint someone and only ask for votes from those who agree with him. One of them mentions that Bruno should at least ask the captains to vote since they represent the soldiers. Narducci, who refers to himself as one of the "capi", says he had been kept out of the loop. From other info, we know it is the rank and file who (supposedly) vote on the consigliere position since the consigliere is meant to represent the interests of the membership and not necessarily the boss. This seems to have been abandoned over time.
Riccobene says on this recording that he had never heard of multiple candidates being voted on for the consigliere spot, so we can assume like many mafia "elections", leading members scheme and consult each other "off the record" beforehand, put a name up, and everyone already agrees in advance to vote for him. The most famous example of this is when John Gotti was voted in as boss, but I would guess it's always gone on for any kind of mafia "election" going back to the beginning. It's what they do.
I find it strange in a transcript where Magaddino says he never took on a consigliere (at least to that point in time). It's like openly saying "I'm a dictator, deal with it," which knowing Magaddino, doesn't seem that far off the mark. You would think the Commission would ask him to take on a consigliere for appearances at least.
Going back to the Bonannos, I've wanted to know more about John Petrone. He was an old soldier in the Bronx and one report on MF claims he was named acting consigliere around the time the Bonanno problems were ramping up. I believe it says Joe Bonanno put him in this spot (acting consigliere may not need to be voted in?) and that Petrone then went to Carlo Gambino asking him for advice. This guy stands out to me because he is one of the earliest known Bronx-based Bonanno members and it's not entirely clear what role he played in the Bonanno situation of the 1960s. I would guess he had been a member of the Galante/Notaro crew, who were both Bonanno loyalists, but many members of this decina joined the DiGregorio faction.