Bochinche & Buzz: Shelly still calling the shots

Even as he awaits his state-issued orange jumpsuit, Shelly Silver is still in control.

The Bochinche & Buzz leading up to Sunday’s Manhattan Democratic Party meeting regarding the vacant 65th Assembly District seat was that Silver's political club, the Truman Club, had a hand-picked candidate to replace the convicted felon.

Much of the wheeling and dealing for that seat was going on behind the scenes, well before Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that April 19 – the date of the presidential primary in New York state – would also be the date of the special election for Shelly’s seat.

Sources familiar with Sunday’s meeting told me that there were some good and qualified candidates being considered, and that the group was diverse and reflective of the district’s population. Alice Cancel, the sole Latina among the wannabes, ended up being the favorite of Silver’s gang, which includes his former chief of staff Judy Rapfogel. Insiders refer to Cancel, who works for New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, as a political hack, and some of the biggest critiques I heard about her came from fellow Puertorriqueños.

But I kept an open mind as I walked into the Educational Alliance building at 197 East Broadway on Sunday and took the elevator to the sixth floor. The place was packed.

I was filling out the press sign-in sheet when I heard Rapfogel’s voice: "Gerson, how are you?" Rapfogel dropped the niceties quickly, though. She tore into me for a comment I made on NY1’s Inside City Hall about Shelly Silver’s conviction. You can tune in tomorrow to our New York Slant podcast to find out more about what transpired during my unexpected and quick conversation with Rapfogel, whose husband, William, served only 14 months of a 3- to 10-year sentence for stealing $9 million from a Jewish nonprofit organization he ran.

I'll also tell you what I think about the Manhattan Dems’ coronation of Cancel, as the Democrats seek to continue the legacy of the convicted, and still powerful Shelly Silver. One thing is for sure – the man is still calling the shots, through his loyal aide, and wife Rosa Silver.