Yes they are certainly selective, their process takes quite a while. There Captains watch over them, advise and critique their decisions. It's a good method if it's your career path. The older group have also done very well finically which is why there was little use for extra "boots on the ground". Losing Chin hurt leadership wise, he ran a tight ship. But yet again the people he mentored have adopted most if not all his tactics(minus the robe). For whatever it's worth Tony Salerno was a big loss. Fish Cafaro was purely spitting in his face with all this "figurehead" BS. Tony was the "boss" while Chin was a co-equal. Fish Cafaro had a major grudge against Tony for what he dumped on Tony to whoever would listen. After his stroke he should have spent more time at the Spruce Bar(his ranch) than in a leadership role. The stroke REALLY diminished his capacity. It was sad to watch.
That's an interesting theory. A well-known poster over on the Real Deal has theorized himself that Cafaro was actually trying to protect Salerno by claiming he was just a figurehead.
In any event, even if you throw out Cafaro's testimony completely, independent wiretaps confirmed that Chin was the official boss and Salerno ultimately deferred to him. They were not co-bosses. Salerno was basically the acting boss. He went to the Commission meetings, he conducted the making ceremonies, etc. But Chin had the final word.
The top leadership in the Genovese family from the 1970's to the mid-1980's has been debated over and over. It seems after Lombardo had stepped down and Tieri was convicted, Salerno was the guy who was going to become boss. But he had his stroke not long afterward so it never happened. But that's not to say he was later just an unwitting flunky out there taking the heat like the term "front boss" suggests.
