Democrats in the City Council are on the verge of giving outgoing Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito a parting gift by approving a close pal to a plum patronage post at the Board of Elections, sources said Wednesday.
Manhattan Democrats on the City Council informally voted to nominate Andy Praschak as the next Manhattan Commissioner on the Board of Elections.
They chose Praschak over lawyer Sylvia DiPietro, the candidate favored by Manhattan Democratic Party and county leader Keith Wright, after interviewing both candidates Wednesday.
The entire Democratic caucus of the Council is scheduled to vote on Prashak’s appointment at an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon, Council insiders said.
“This is a shameful, despicable. Melissa Mark Viverito talks all the time about having more women in politics. She’s a hypocrite,”fumed Barry Weinberg, executive director of the Manhattan Democratic Party.
The controversy is a headache for council members campaigning to succeed Mark Viverito as speaker — who don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.
DiPietro is a Chelsea district leader who is a neighbor and member of the same Democratic club of Councilman and speaker wanna-be Corey Johnson, sources noted.
Johnson was not present at the meeting.
But another candidate for speaker, northern Manhattan Councilman Mark Levine was present and supported Praschak, Council insiders said.
The Manhattan Democratic Party has retained legal counsel and is threatening to sue Mark Viverito and the Council if they vote in her pal Praschak.
Praschak, an environmental lawyer, has ties to Puerto Rico, where he served for decades as a top official for the US Environmental Protection Agency. He is considered one of Mark Viverito’s closest friends and is often seen with her at City Hall.
DiPietro, who has her own law practice, is a member of Community Board 5 and the Community Service Society and has served on judicial screening panels.
Mark Viverito sought to push Prashak’s appointment through last week , but it was postponed after party activists complained that he and other candidates hadn’t been vetted.
Meanwhile sources raised questions about the status of Praschak’s law license in New York.
New York State court records show that the law license of an Andrew L. Praschak was suspended effective Nov. 10, 2009, apparently for not filing a renewal application.
Asked about the New York suspension notification, Praschak told the Post Wednesday night, “I’m licensed in Illinois. Always have been.”
For his part, Manhattan Democratic Party leader Keith Wright said he was urging party officials from the other boroughs to persuade their council members to oppose Praschak’s nomination on Thursday because it would set a bad precedent for legislators to buck the party’s wishes.
“If it can happen to Manhattan,” Wright said, “It can happen to any borough.”