Tommy Gambino was next.

The very little I know about him would lead me to believe he wouldn't want that position. Any thoughts on that? My info is halfassed but it seems he was very wealthy, low key, and wouldn't want the target on him

Bilotti was a hardcore thug/ gangster who Sammy described as "an abusive gorilla ",

I'm not laughing at you, it's just the thought,.This made me log on and say something..LOL ARE YOU SERIOUS? I'm still laughing 2 days later after seeing the thread title..thanks,I needed that..Tommy bilotti, boss, oh, my, freaking God..I can't take it anymore..
I understand that paul trusted him, with good cause..I would have too,Enforcer, driver, all around muscle, no doubt..loyal to the core, but boss, c mon, even the feds wouldn't fall for that..
And yeah, what happened to Neil was a tragedy. Too old school..even if he were upped, idk what good it would have done. Too many crews,with big headed capos, the freaking drugs.. That time in the 80s,things were bound to implode due to the sheer size and arrogance of the families. I don't care what they say about Scarfo Sr, but he said "drugs and our thing don't mix", I digress.
Tommy Bilotti, the boss..LOLZ

Am I the only one who figures in the event Paul goes down at the Commission Trial and Gotti doesn't have him clipped beforehand you're all under the assumption the Gambino Family would take orders from a hump like Tommy Bilotti just cause he's in a "figure head position"? Even from a 100 year setence from the Commission Trial before Paul would have given up the big seat he without question would've bumped Tommy back down and into the crew of a friend (someone like a Jimmy Brown for example). I think the only thing that would have or could have happened in this situation was that Paul from jail would make Neil the boss and Neil would then have set the Gotti wheel in motion regardless. I see Gotti coming out on top anyway it goes with Paul as boss. Neil was sick and on the way out but still would've been boss until he died, between his crew and Fatico's crew that Gotti was already running, the writing is kind of on the wall. With Paul out of the way so goes the juice of his allies in the family (not that they weren't still very powerful guys DB and Jimmy Brown as earners and Bilotti as a tough guy) and back we are to the Neil should've been boss when Carlo died debate. With the backing of Fatico and guys like Piney Armone and the other Gotti supporters, Gotti simply would've just been groomed for a bit longer before Fatico went away and Mr. Neil got sick. So what I'm saying is, if convicted and not murdered Paul from jail would have demoted Tommy and made Neil boss, or the would have been a captains meeting and Tommy would "step down" and Neil would have gotten a unanimous vote in my opinion. Half the family wanted him to be boss in the first place, the other half that favored Big Paul would have already gotten their way, seen Paul wasn't the right choice and then swung around to backing Neil. He'd had the support of the whole family much of whom disliked Bilotti anyway. I honestly think he goes from Underboss down to solider if Paul goes away.