I wanted to create a 'poll' to gather votes on this topic, but I don't know how to do that. So, I'll just ask the question:

Was Paul Castellano a good gangster?

Everyone comes out with comments like "Castellano was not a street guy!" That's probably true. Paul made a few mistakes, due to his greed, but what gangster isn't in 'the life ' for the money?

I mean, John Gotti took Paul's job and stupidly tried to grab the limelight. Is that a good gangster?

smart ? yeah he was
he just made a few mistakes which every human being can do

All mafiosi on the commission were smart. BTW the commission has not met since Castellano was killed in 1985.

no
they met till 2000 and from then they stopped

I don't think carmine persico was ever smart in his life and the commission hasn't meet because the commission trial gave 100 y to every members.Castellano inherited the boss title because was the Carlo Gambino cousin dot Was a smart boss?,For sure a good bussiness man but the fact that gave the ok to frank piccolo murder in 1981 for don't lost the money of the rackets that shared with the genoveses and other actions that made angry the soldiers and the blue collars capos made his downfall,gotti was he was,but he know that was a crime boss and not a bussinessman.

He was a smart guy. Also his focus on white collar crimes was more lucrative and less risky than the usual blue collar crimes. I can understand why Carlo chose Paul. Neil was very respected but he was constantly under investigation/indictment and wasnt the smartest guy lets be honest. Also Paul staying away from social clubs was probably the smartest thing despite being hated by those guys. Pauls biggest mistake was probably greed and that he didnt resolve the bergin crew issue sooner.

you don't reach the status he had by being a dipshit, the guy definitely had brains. proven even more by the direction it looked like he wanted to take the gambino's. if anything he might have been a little ahead of his time in some instances.

it seems like he just fell out of touch with his rank and file guys towards the end and it cost him.

"and that he didnt resolve the bergin crew issue sooner"
exactly.

Its also important to remember that Paul did have a mean streak. Despite being labeled a "business man" He ordered many deaths.

I've always said that Paul Castellano and Angelo Bruno were too smart for the life. When you got street guys envying you because you know how to construct a proper sentence, then you're sure to run into some major problems down the line. The soldiers need to be able to relate to you.

Well never actually know. Dumbass gangsters said he was smart but that’s coming from dumbass gangsters.

A lot of his business successes can’t be attributed to being a smart business man because we don’t know to what extent being the boss of a crime family played in those successes.

I think Paul was probably a genius compared to other gangsters and very smart compared to the general public.

He was certainly smart enough to use his position to create wealth from it. As mentioned his lack of a relationship with the rank and file literally killed him.

There's a lot of smoke and mirrors around Bruno and Scarfo.

Bruno, despite his reputation as the business-smart don, was letting Gambino affiliates deal on his territory while cutting out his own made men from doing the same. Not too smart.

Scarfo, despite his reputation, successfully made large amounts of money for his family and his violence makes sense when his last two predecessors met violent ends.

There was good and bad leadership in both of them.

If He was Smart, He'd never would've been killed...or been in the Mafia...lol

We could play that game all night, but that would mean every guy who ever joined the mafia wasn't too bright. Is it smart to be a hoodlum? Most people would say no, but in the mafia it makes sense to be a hoodlum. The problem is that you can't teach that. As one wiseguy put it, 'You can't teach a racketeer to be a hoodlum, but you can teach a hoodlum to be a racketeer.' That's why Tony Accardo was as successful as he was. A hoodlum with a brilliant mind has the respect of the rank and file and the tools to move the family forward. It's all about perspective.

smart people can do mistakes too...

agree Meyer, everyone makes mistakes..good guys die all the time in the mob.well not as much today they do not kill much any more

I've read these quotes that are attributed to him. I don't know if he actually said them but they are interesting none the less. If he did indeed say these things he was undoubtedly a thoughtful man.

"This life of ours, this is a wonderful life. If you can get through life like this and get away with it, hey that's great. But it's very predictable. There's so many ways you can screw it up."

"We're not children here. The law is...how should I put it? A convenience. Or a convenience for some people, and an inconvenience for other people. Like, take the law that says you can't go into someone else's house. I have a house, so, hey, I like that law. The guy without a house...what's he think of it? Stay out in the rain, schnook. That’s what the law means to him."

"There are certain promises you make that are more sacred than anything that happens in a court of law. I don't care how many Bibles you put your hand on. Some of the promises, it's true, you make to young, before you really have an understanding of what they mean. But once you've made those first promises, other promises are called for. And the thing is you can't deny the new ones without betraying the old ones. The promises get bigger, there are more people to be hurt and disappointed if you don't live up to them.Then, at some point, your called upon to make a promise to a dying man."

Yes I think he was a smart man. Can you distinguish being a smart man from being a smart gangster? That is another question for another day.

What was his mistakes? Obviously the biggest one was underestimating what Gotti was capable of. It cost him his life. We’ve all heard how he wasn’t respected by true street guys but did that make him stupid?

I think it has to say something about him that Carlo Gambino looked on him so favorably. Sure you can bring up nepotism but I don’t think Carlo Gambino would risk the future of his Cosa Nostra Family and those responsibilities on an unqualified man strictly because he was family.

Besides those that were in on the plot to kill him, which was obviously a small percentage of that Family, I wonder how many were dissatisfied with his leadership and how many were content with him as boss. That would say a lot about how smart or good he was as a gangster.

I'm the OP, and your views are the same as mine. Paul was white collar, but so was Sammy. Paul was trying to modernize the Gambinos, even if the blue collar faction were confused by the change of plans. More money, less risk, less violence. Mob activities that resemble 'legitimate' business are going to attract less 'heat' from police attention.

Yes but how much gambinos during Castellano reign was white collar mobster and how much was blue collar mobsters? Carlo Gambino made 2 underboss: castellano run the white collar rackets and neil dellacroce run the blue collar rackets. Castellano as boss was too focused to white collar rackets that made more money,Les violence ecc but again the gambinos are a criminal organization not a joint-stock company.

Sammy the Bull
derided Paul as a "racketeer," while he and Gott were "gangsters."

I would say Castellano was a smart gangster. Just not smart enough.

He was involved in street business, or at least loan sharking. Then he was smart enough to infiltrate legitimate business, becoming a major player in the meat industry. If I remember correctly, after doing a bit of time for a dumb robbery as a kid, he only did a year for contempt throughout decades of being a criminal. That's smart. Then he made some major blunders as boss.

There was a commission meeting in 1989 too BTW. Chin & Mangano, Gotti & Gravano, Amuso & Casso.

What's Smart about being a wiseguy or gangster...Especially today..You get caught, go to jail for a number of years. Your Family is left with nothing. Your rotting in Jail and your racket is taken over by someone else. At least years ago they respected jail time and took care of your Family and interests...Look at Genie, He lost 30 years of his life..Does the end justify the means..?

I agree with you 100 percent. I guess I interpreted this topic more as a hypothetical question

I think John Gotti said that, if I'm not mistaken.

Joe Massino confirmed that when Paul Castellano got killed, there was never another Commission meeting there. But he acknowledged however that top leaders did and do get together sometimes.

I always wondered who the informant was that let them know there was gonna ba a commission meeting in 84 scarpa maybe?

No

I don't think they were in Bruno's family, they were in Gambino's family. They weren't just Gambino affiliates, they were Carlo's blood family. In the event of any sitdown they had the backing of the boss of an NYC family. I would think they could pretty much do what they wanted. As long as they didn't take from Bruno's family, what was he going to do about it?

Bruno was right drugs made guys flip and he was able to get guys off when they got pinched because they / he stuck to the regular mob staples the way the judges and other city officials wanted so he was able to operate much easier.

But he was at odds with his mussel “ Testa and if he had not been at odds for so many years he would of gotten word that North Jersey was making a move .


Same deal with Castellano he was a good boss but I am sure Carlo would of thought that Castellano would of had a crew solid behind him but he was soft and allowed the street to come and get him.

His downfall was just that when 95% of your company is street level guys you need street guys watching street guys , and just like Bruno they thought guys would follow the rules but in that life forget about it .