James Sanders last night.

It is a question few in the New York political establishment dare to ask publicly: is the seemingly endless string of indictments and arrests of elected officials a conspiracy against minorities in power?

But there was Queens State Sen. James Sanders Jr., bellowing in a theater with a preacher's rhythm, more than implying last night that the recent arrests of black elected officials like Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, State Sen. Malcolm Smith and State Sen. John Sampson were not coincidental. Even State Sen. Shirley Huntley, who admitted to stealing funds earmarked for her district's underprivileged children and was sentenced Thursday for her crimes, could have been linked to a conspiracy, Mr. Sanders said.

Ironically, Mr. Sanders defeated Ms. Huntley last year--after she was indicted--and took her seat in the State Senate.

"Why aren't we hearing about other people wired and looking at different communities? Why is it seemingly a focus on this community?" the freshman state senator asked. "Why are we allowing folk who've been in power longer--who are perhaps smarter and slicker, who are are more dangerous under those conditions and perhaps robbing far more--we leave them alone and we target these over here?"

The mellifluous Mr. Sanders was speaking at last night's "Attack on Black Leaders: Corruption or Conspiracy?" forum in the Black Spectrum Theater in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens. After a showing of the R-rated 1993 political film Let's Get Bizee, a debate was held between two three-person panels: one side argued that the recent arrests of minority elected officials was a conspiracy against minorities in power and the other argued that prosecutors were correctly ferreting out corruption. Sitting on the "conspiracy" side was Paul Nichols, Mr. Sanders' chief of staff.

"The attack on minority leader is nothing more than a conspiracy, a conspiracy to thwart and to try to block the growing influence of minority power," Mr. Nichols declared. In a disclaimer, he said his views did not represent those of his boss.

On the other side, panelists like former Assemblyman Michael Benjamin argued that historically, white elected officials like former Queens Borough President Donald Manes and Bronx Democratic boss Stanley Friedman have been charged with crimes too. Mr. Nichols countered by saying blacks have been marginalized for generations and little has changed.

A hand count at the end showed that only three more attendees sided with the "corruption" position than the "conspiracy" one. Mr. Sanders himself, speaking before the audience, concluded that it "was a little bit of both" before elaborating with reporters after the debate. When Politicker asked him about the number of white elected officials that have gone to prison in recent years, including former State Sen. Carl Kruger, Comptroller Alan Hevesi and Assemblyman Brian Mclaughlin, Mr. Sanders insisted minority politicians were still disproportionately targeted.

"The so-called minority population of this state is very small. If it is proportionate, then the vast majority [of arrests] would be whites," he said. "It is close to 55 percent so-called minority and 45 percent white ... your math doesn't hold. The proportion around the state is 30 percent, yet they are making up 55 percent of the targets."

Councilman Leroy Comrie, a black southeastern Queens representative , arrived late to watch the debate. As Mr. Comrie was leaving, we asked the chairman of the Queens Council delegation if he believed there was an actual conspiracy against minority elected officials. He equivocated.

"I'm not rejecting any notion," Mr. Comrie explained. "All I'm saying is, it's not my job to be concerned about corruption or conspiracy. All I'm trying to do as an elected official is do right thing and encourage other people to be involved in government. Make people unafraid of government and make sure the government is responsive to people."

Former Comptroller Alan Hevesi was denied parole and will spend another year behind bars for his role in a pay-to-play pension fund corruption scandal.

Speaking of comptrollers, advisors for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer reportedly hope he'll take advantage of John Liu's troubles and run for comptroller rather than entering the tougher mayoral race. 

Governor Cuomo's administration and legislators in Albany might have a special session to talk about an economic package that includes new taxes for wealthy New Yorkers.

In closing arguments, lawyers for City Councilman Larry Seabrook described the government's "so-called evidence" presented at the councilman's corruption trial as "a shell game."

Albany's holy trinity--Governor Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos all support expanded casino gambling in New York.

Tomorrow's top races.

Tom Allon is the first of the 2013 Mayoral candidates to hit the airwaves.

Alan Hevesi's life behind bars.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says a biologist with the Department of Environmental Conservation bilked the State by boozing.

Sharon Bialek's media blitz begins tomorrow.

President Obama's emissary to the Jews makes his debut.

Bill Clinton says Hillary won't replace Vice President Biden on the 2012 ticket.

There are a few factors to keep in mind when considering who makes sense for the seat, and who doesn't.

First is who would want it, since the seat will likely be erased after next year's redistricting. Secondly, who would have the support from the Democratic County leader in Queens, Rep. Joe Crowley, who could quickly turn into a potential primary challenger--to himself, or someone else--should they come to enjoy working in Congress. Lastly, Crowley must consider who can ensure Democrats hold onto the seat in what is the second most Republican-leaning district in the city. (The most Republican district--NY-13 on Staten Island--was captured by a Republican, Michael Grimm, in 2010.)

So, here's a breakdown of the candidates, based on those criteria.

Rory Lancman
The young Assemblyman from Flushing has reportedly expressed a willingness to ditch his safe job in the seniority-driven legislature, figuring a smart guy like him can find his way into a federal job after redistricting, or simply go to the private sector, capping his public service career with the enviable title of congressman.

Despite being a relatively junior member chairing the bland Subcommittee on Workplace Safety, he's done a Weiner-esque job of garnering attention, generating headlines with press conferences on both the Spiderman musical and the case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

He's an attorney with a law degree from Columbia, so finding gainful employment outside of politics wouldn't be that difficult, should he go that route.

Also, sources familiar with the scene say he's pledged not to run a primary against the Rep. Joe Crowley. Challenging nearby Rep. Gary Ackerman for his Queens / Long Island seat is another matter (and, technically, not Crowley's concern).

Lancman is also Jewish, as are a majority of voters in the district.

Mark Weprin
The former Assemblyman was elected to the City Council in 2009, and, having just started a promising career there, is unlikely to relinquish it up for a short-term gig in Washington. He just returned to work, after having spent more than a decade as an Assemblyman in Albany, so, starting a job that has him commuting to D.C. isn't likely to be high on his priority list.

Weprin has close ties to Crowley, and if you're the county leader, it wouldn't be wise to sacrifice your bishop on a short-term gain like an endangered congressional seat. Keeping him in the Council, where massive turnover in 2013 could elevate him to a senior position, would make more sense.

Liz Crowley
She's a City Council member and, more importantly, the congressman's cousin. While that has some obvious perks, it's also the least likely reason she'll be picked. Picking a family member would only remind people of how Rep. Crowley first got into Congress, through a last-minute swithceroo from his mentor, Rep. Tom Manton, which left voters and would-be contenders without a say.

Also, she's had made some gaffes while in the Council, and hasn't scored many legislative or political victories during her tenure. (For example, Speaker Quinn and others are getting just as much, if not more, praise for saving firehouses from this year's budget axe, even though Crowley chairs the committee overseeing them.)

She also had some campaign finance issues during earlier City Council campaigns that, although settled, could be annoying fodder for a motivated opponent to trot out.

Eric Gioia
The young, ambitious former Coucnilman with White House experience is now making money on Wall Street, giving him a mix of public and private sector experience. He is also a bona fide progressive Democrat with a penchant for attracting media attention to his causes (like living on food stamps for a week).

But is he too ambitious? The district he represented is outside NY-9 and he doesn't live in the district (which is not a legal requirement, but it helps). It's also unclear if Crowley would feel comfortable elevating a rising star with a discernible independent streak.

Melinda Katz
The former Assemblywoman and City Councilwoman is now working at a lobbying firm, and raising two young children on her own. She's among only a few women being discussed for the job, and, like many of the voters, is Jewish. She also has experience running for Congress, having run for this seat before. (She lost to Weiner).

The concern with Katz's candidacy is two-fold: logistically, with young children and no spouse, can she do it? Secondly, and probably more complicated, are her connections to the disgraced former state comptroller Alan Hevesi. Before he was brought down by a pair of scandals (Chauffeur-gate and pension kickbacks), Hevesi was his own power center in the borough, and Katz was a protege and an ally. Katz has never been accused of any wrongdoing, but for a congressman like Crowley, who is looking to polish his Washington image and downplay his image as a machine boss, Katz could be a step in the wrong direction.

Also, as a candidate for comptroller in 2009, she failed to make it into the runoff against three other male candidates, throwing into question whether her gender would be a political advantage in the special election.

Claire Shulman
The former Queens Borough President is a revered figure in the borough, and has been independent from the county's formidable political machine. She took over after Borough President Donald Manes killed himself amid speculation that he was involved in a massive citywide kickback scheme. (Jack Newfield's City for Sale has great details on this, including the fact that Manes plunged a knife into his stomach during a phone call with his therapist.)

She's also older than most of the presumed candidates, and, if she can handle the daily grind of legislating, constituent complaints, media inquiries and commuting to D.C., would make a respectable place holder. And that's all she would be, considering her advanced age. Of course, picking someone with absolutely no chance of sticking around Washington could backfire in a district where constituents enjoyed seven, highly-publicized terms of Anthony Weiner.

Liz Holtzman
The former congresswoman and city comptroller has dipped her toe back into politics, playing a role in Adolfo Carrion's brief citywide campaign (for mayor, or was it comptroller?), and having her name floated as an attorney general candidate in 2010. She's respected, energetic, sharp, and not likely to be seen dismissively as a warm body holding onto the seat until it's wiped off the map. But she is, in many respects, to the left of even liberal Rep. Jerry Nadler -- an impressive feat in and of itself. (Holtzman advocated trying former President George W. Bush for war crimes). That kind of progressivism might draw objections from the moderate to conservative voters in the district. It's not hard to imagine her being painted her as an out-of-touch liberal--and, perhaps, a kindred spirit of vilified Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi--within about five seconds of her nomination announcement.

Lyn Shulman
A local Democratic activist who unsuccessfully ran for City Council, is Jewish and openly gay. It's unclear how that would play in a district where Democrats greatly  outnumber Republicans, but lean more socially-conservative.