"These people are pretty sophisticated and well-endowed financially but also may not have known of the place called the Studio Museum in Harlem," said Perkins, a Harlem native who attended the event. "It was a twofer from that point of view. It was, 'Thank you,' and also, 'This is a hip place you might want to check out in the future.'"

Attendees dined at Red Rooster before heading to Studio Museum for the speech, both of which are relatively new and popular venues that reflect Harlem's rising trendiness. Perkins said that the majority of them were big-money donors whose loyalty ran to the early days of the Obama campaign.

"Those folks who were his former supporters would have joined him anywhere, so it wasn't about the money," he said. "It was, strategically speaking, how do you get the most out of it? And I think those folks coming up to the Red Rooster and getting some fine dining while being exposed to a new experience in this historic neighborhood, that's all to the good."

Assemblyman Keith Wright characterized the crowd as a mix of "regular community folks as well as some more well-heeled people," although it's not clear which regular community folks have $30,000 to spend on a speech.

“I thought it was very representative of people from the Harlem community, but it wasn’t just for the Harlem community," Wright said. "It was for all of New York.”

Other Harlem heavies in attendance included Congressman Charlie Rangel, Council member Inez Dickens and former Mayor David Dinkins.

"It is no secret that many of us who have worked with Steve Levy in the Assembly or are aware of his actions as the Suffolk County Executive find him to be divisive. Regardless of whether he is a Democrat or a Republican, New York does not need that kind of statewide leader, especially in these difficult times." Said, Bronx County Leader Carl Heastie.

"Obviously Levy will run as a Republican because he knows his divisive views are not welcome in the Democratic party. He also knows he would have no chance to beat Andrew Cuomo in a primary. His move to run as a Republican is political opportunism of the worst kind. Republicans can do what they want with him, but New York would be better served with a robust debate about the issues between the Republican and Democratic standard bearers than a mud wrestling competition where Mr. Levy will appeal to the worst within each of us." Said New York County Leader Keith Wright.

When a reporter inquired about Mr. Giuliani's comments, Mr. Thompson replied: "Well, I saw comments by both of them. And I think it's unfortunate that the mayor and Rudy Giuliani have resorted to the politics of division and the politics of fear. It's also a distraction. They're trying to distract from Mike Bloomberg's failed record."

Asked whether he thoughts the comments were "race-baiting," as others have suggested, Mr. Thompson deferred. "I think you're going to have to ask other people," he said.

Fortunately, there were plenty of other people to ask.

Assemblyman Nick Perry, who represents parts of Brooklyn, was more than happy to offer his thoughts. "It's unfortunate that Mayor Giuliani has resorted to divisiveness, but it's not surprising. That's his modus operandi, that's what he did when he was mayor. He kept the city divided. And we know, should he surface again to run for another job that's what we would expect. I think maybe he hurt Bloomberg unintentionally, but the mayor should come out and condemn the statements made by Giuliani--unless he supports it," the assemblyman said.

Asked whether he thought the comments had a racial element, Assemblyman Perry replied: "The way it was said, it sounds like that to me. It's just like the code words that are used all the time to stigmatize the minority community. It has to do with crime, and when you hear that statement you really have to think twice about who's saying it and what the intent is. I have no reservations at all about saying that there is a deliberate attempt to divide the city with those comments."

"If I were Bloomberg, I wouldn't even want to be seen with him," said Assemblyman Keith Wright of Manhattan, who was sporting a Tufts University hat and said he and Thompson roomed together for a time in college. "It just shows that in the waning days of a campaign, you have Bill Thompson looking toward a Sheldon Silver, you have Mayor Bloomberg looking toward a Rudy Giuliani. So when the chips are down and it comes crunch time, you look to your big horses and if you're looking at Giuliani as your big horse, you've got a big problem."

Assemblyman Wright, who was recently elected chairman of the Manhattan Democratic Party, added that the party's Get Out The Vote operation might surprise some people. "It's going to be a tsumani the likes of which you haven't seen before. Look out, batten down the hatches." And he thought Mr. Giuliani's comments might help. "I think you'll have all factions from around the city--black, white, Jew, Gentile-coming out to vote against those comments, in favor of Bill Thompson."

The event is taking place at 6 p.m. tonight at Yorkville Gardens (225 East 93rd Street).

The outgoing leader, Assemblyman Herman Denny Farrell, is leaving the post after more than two decades, “but I’m still holding onto my district leader position,” he said in a brief interview this afternoon, which he conducted between incoming calls on one of two cell phones he regularly uses.

One challenge facing the incoming chairman will be the growing power of the Working Families Party to influence primaries and patronage, the traditional prerogatives of the Democratic organizations. Another, sooner or later, will be managing what could be a bloody fight for Representative Charlie Rangel’s congressional seat in Harlem, whenever that opens up.

“To begin with, I think Charlie has another 10 to 15 years to go,” Farrell said.

“The person I’d like to see next is a young person,” said the 77-year-old Farrell, “but we have primaries and we have people who run on their own.”

Farrell, who was first elected to the State Assembly in 1974, said, “New York City and New York State doesn’t tend to have a lot of people chairing powerful committees.” He said that was because “they don’t stay long enough. They run for city offices."

When I asked Farrell what he’d like to be remembered for, he said his ability to keep the Democratic Party in Manhattan growing, and the scandal-free slate of judges they’ve helped put on the bench.

“All of our judges, none of them have gotten into trouble,” he said.

I think he’ll also be remembered for a memorable on-air exchange with Fred Dicker. And for his shirts. Definitely the shirts.

Denying the premise has been a way, at least temporarily, for these officials to avoid publicly abandoning Paterson without challenging what the Obama administration is doing.

“If he endorsed me I would accept it,” said Green.

Green made his comments when he was asked about the controversial Bronx lawmaker during a press conference outside City Hall where Green announced the support from several lawmakers and clergy members, mostly from Harlem.

“He’s a lawfully seated, popularly elected member of that body,” said Green.

At the event were Assembly members Herman Denny Farrell, who said he doesn’t comment on the other legislative house, Karim Kama of Brooklyn, and Keith Wright of Harlem.

Espada has been criticized for, among other things, living outside his district, hiring relatives, evading public requirements for his campaigns and pulling down a handsome salary as the head of a health network.

"The way I thought about the meeting was that the new--notwithstanding what was reported--was that the new, incoming state party chair was trying to call people together and try to get his finger on the pulse of what was happening out there. He met with some of the major constituency groups. Like with any intra-family squabbles, I guess he's going to get an earful."

Wright was referring to Jay Jacobs, of Nassau County, who Paterson recently designated to chair the state party.

From what I've heard, the meeting was in fact convened by Assemblyman Vito Lopez, the Brooklyn Democratic chair. Also in attendance were Carl Heastie of the Bronx, Joe Morelle of Rochester and the presidents of Local 32BJ, Local 1199, the Building Trades Council and United Federation of Teachers. I asked Wright about some of the more extreme reports from the meeting, that it was a group setting an ultimatum on supporting Paterson in an election bid in 2010. We spoke just as news was coming from Buffalo that several unions there are calling Andrew Cuomo to run for governor, not Paterson.

"I don't know who these council of elders are, but I defy any of them to go and tell the governor he shouldn't run instead of doing it in the newspapers," Wright said. "These council of elders have not emerged, whoever they are. Are we talking about the wizard from behind the curtain?"

Wright, one of Paterson's most consistent defenders, said he was not invited to the meeting.

Another prominent black Democratic mayor, Cory Booker of Newark, endorsed Bloomberg in April.

Assemblyman Keith Wright of Harlem isn’t impressed.

“When these outside mayors start making these endorsements, Fenty from 200 miles away, they may want to dial a 212 area code and check with the local Democrats up here, because those two are Democrats. They may want to get Mr. Thompson’s résumé,” Wright said in an interview today, referring to his preferred candidate, Bill Thompson.

“I really don’t think an endorsement from Newark or Washington, D.C., resonates at all,” said Wright. “I don’t think it resonates among the people in the five boroughs. Nobody is going to the polls because Cory Booker said to go. Nobody is going to the polls because Adrian Fenty said to,” said Wright.

“New Yorkers are very funny. They don’t go for outside endorsements.”/p>

Spokespeople for Booker and Fenty did not return messages seeking comment.

Wright initially vented his frustrations about the Booker endorsement to Crain’s Insider.

UPDATE: What does Al Sharpton think Booker and Adrian Fenty endorsing Bloomberg?

“I think that’s nice. Maybe the people in town are the ones he needs to concentrate on,” he said.

At a big breakfast event tomorrow morning, Charlie Rangel will endorse Bill Thompson for mayor, John Liu for city comptroller and Bill de Blasio for public advocate.

Above is a flier for the event, which starts at 7:45 a.m. (on a Saturday!?).

A number of other elected officials from Harlem, like Assemblyman Keith Wright and City Councilwoman Inez Dickens, will also endorse this group at the event.

UPDATE: A spokesman for Wright called to say the Assemblyman will attend part of tomorrow's event, and so far, has only publicly endorsed Thompson for mayor. The spokesman declined to say what other endorsements, if any, Wright will make tomorrow.

Last week, The New York Times reported that the state's ethics panel had been reviewing a request from three good-government groups to investigate the Paterson administration for leaking the confidential information Caroline Kennedy provided during the Senate vetting process early this year. 

Keith Wright, a strong supporter of David Paterson, expressed a suspicion that Blair Horner, the legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group who once worked for the attorney general and is now spearheading the call for an investigation, may be acting as an agent for Cuomo.

"I know that Blair Horner used to work for Andrew, and I'm not saying Andrew Cuomo is part and parcel to any sort of grand conspiracy theory, but you have to look at relationships. Some of our good-government groups may not be all that pure," said Wright. "I think it has to be taken into account, Blair Horner becoming a maverick muckraker on this issue concerning the confidentiality."

"[Horner] may want [Cuomo] to be governor and this may be a way that Blair thinks he can elevate his reputation, by maybe doing some undercover work," he said.

Wright is not speaking out of turn here—his suspicions seem to be shared by the governor's campaign.

As one Paterson campaign official put it to me, "Every time there is good news for the governor, there comes along a less-positive story that seems to have some fingerprints back to Andrew Cuomo."

The campaign official pointed to the timing of the Kennedy-leak story, which overshadowed coverage of the governor's reform of the Rockefeller drug laws, and to the appearance of a Cuomo spokesman in the New York Post criticizing Paterson's budget just as Paterson announced the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds for housing and infrastructure around the state. The source also saw a concerted effort to damage Paterson when Cuomo declined to defend the governor from attacks by Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani published the day Paterson announced landmark same-sex marriage legislation.

"Those constitute a fraction of the pattern," said the official, who also said that the Paterson campaign received "calls and emails every day" from supporters of the governor expressing similar suspicions about Cuomo orchestrating a press strategy designed to weaken Paterson.

Asked about the accusations of Cuomo-collusion, Horner said that it all bore the distinct marks of a paranoid conspiracy theory, and was meant as a distraction.

"This idea that there is some conspiracy is, I think, a smoke screen, because the issue at hand is, is it legal for members of the government to leak confidential information," he said. "That's a yes-or-no answer."  

Referring to Wright, he said, "He's entitled to his opinion, but the issue is, was the law broken."

Horner pointed to his watchdog work during the administrations of Mario Cuomo, George Pataki and Eliot Spitzer as proof that "we fight it out on the merits."

When asked if Cuomo had sought to undermine the governor by stepping on his positive news coverage, Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the attorney general, said, "The premise of your question is silly. The attorney general and the governor enjoy an excellent working and personal relationship."

Shortly after I talked to Cuomo's office, I got a call from a different source close to the governor, who said the following:

"David and Andrew don't have a problem. David doesn't think Andrew is doing anything. What's happening on the staff and operative level is an open question. And recent events would suggest that some operatives are being less than loyal to the head of the state party."