Just four days before Vito died, I predicted he would retire in comfort many years from now, so clearly my opinions should be taken with a grain of salt. But that being said...
After the last few years in Montreal it would be rather foolish to figure that one person will step into Vito's shoes and control the family with minimal to no bloodshed. If anything can work for the current family to remain in power, a combination of a ruling panel approach and a swift and heavy hand to any detractors will be required to keep things from too much upheaval.
So who will "lead" the family now that Vito is dead? The obvious prediction, made by both the posters here and to a lesser degree in the Canadian media is Rocco Sollecito. He is the only member of the old ruling panel to still be living/on the streets. But the problem with this idea is two fold. For one, Rocco is still on probation, and has already been re-incarcerated since his release from prison due to probation violations related to Mafia affiliation. The police are as well aware as anyone about the possibility of his taking control, thus causing any reign to be short lived. Problem two with Rocco is the fact that of the old panel, he has the least violent tendencies, having never been charged with a violent crime, and having never been confidently linked to any murders. This weak handed approach could prove devastating when faced with serious opposition.
So who should be the figure head of this ruling panel? If I had to predict I would say it's Domenico Manno. Although old, he has a wealth of experience, he's married into the Rizzuto family and is thus about the only remaining person in the Rizzuto family with serious credentials. He's not afraid to use violence, as he spent time in prison for the Paolo Violi murder, and is not on any kind of Canadian probation. Possibly most beneficial is the fact that his son/grandson (not sure which) Robert (Bobby) Manno is a Mafia affiliate/member, and can be used as a more physical street presence in lieu of the elderly Domenico.
As for the other members of the ruling panel, Rocco will most certainly have an influence, and even more likely will be the increased presence of his sons Stefano, Mario, and Giuseppe. Stefano was a close confidant to Vito in his last year of life which should further ease the transition to power. Another key thing to remember is that Francesco Arcadi, Francesco Del Balso, and Lorenzo Giordano are all eligible for release in 2014, and assuming they make parole, you can expect them all to join the ruling panel and greatly increase the power of the family. Other possible panel members with a strong relationship to the former family head are Liborio [BadWord] (Son of murdered street boss Agostino), Paolo [BadWord], Giovanni DiMora (Brother in law of Agostino Cun-trera and another man convicted in the Violi murder), Calogero Renda (Son of Paolo), Stefano Arcadi (Brother of Francesco), and longtime mafioso Tony Mucci.
Other longtime Rizzuto allies to consider: Emanuele Ragusa, Frank Martorana, Pietro “Peter” Scarcella, Sabatino Nicolucci, and Pierino Divito. (The last three having all been released from long prison sentences in the past couple years.)
Sorry for the long post, and again this is all highly speculative, just my two cents on the line of succession.
