By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Melinda Katz!

"We sure could live with her," seems to be the buzz inside of Queens Democratic circles.

No, political insiders are not playing the dating game; they’re fantasizing about the next speaker of the City Council.

And the Councilwoman-elect from Forest Hills is one of the long-shot possibilities who could wind up as a compromise choice. Parlaying her Assembly and Borough Hall experience, the polished politician has emerged as a possible powerful player.

Come January 2002, when Speaker Peter Vallone and 35 other Council members are term limited out of the City Council, there will be a new, younger, energized Council where a new class of 36 will have more to say than the senior members — most of whom have only two years left until they too are term-limit history. And so, the maneuvering has gotten hot and heavy to gain strongholds on the leadership roles.

Under Speaker Vallone, the Council was autocratic with the speaker’s single voice calling just about every shot. Although, by the nature of legislative bodies, budgets and assignments, the speaker will always have great clout, don’t expect the new speaker to rule with the same absolute force Vallone did. Look for a more collegial and hopefully more effective deliberative body committed to serving the City and individual districts.

These guys and gals are here for a max of eight years and better do an impressive job if they hope to achieve other elective office. Additionally, they will have to build or be part of effective political operations to insure their future prosperity in the government game.

The first lesson for many is taking place right now. The political bosses and several aggressive Council members are wheeling and dealing for the speakership, committee chairs, additional staff and a variety of perks.

The position of speaker is the most prized plum.

The game has been going on for a while. Upper Eastside wiz kid Gifford Miller started his run when he was elected to the Council six years ago. More than a year ago, he formed a Political Action Committee to raise money to help support strong candidates who would likely be elected and remember his help when he ran for speaker. Giff did a great job of it. He backed an awful lot of winners; made few important enemies and has been aggressively seeking votes. Sadly for Giff, he comes from Manhattan, has a Dem County Chair, Denny Farrell, who has never been able to produce significant votes and most importantly, it seems Giff shares a neighborhood and a "rich white male" label with the Mayor-elect in a City which seems intent on showing its diversity.

Manhattan uptown Council veterans Bill Perkins and Phil Reed, both black, are hopeful that their ethnicity will give them a leg up on Giff and their seniority a leg up on African American newcomers. Also, Miller- backer, openly gay Christine Quinn presents a better-looking rainbow of diversity. But right now, if it isn’t Miller, you can count votes for Manhattan candidates on one finger.

Don’t count Giff out — he’s got a handful of Manhattan colleagues behind him, a lot of friends and is liked and respected by most members of the new Council — but he is not the frontrunner in spite of having the earliest start and he doesn’t have the political rabbi that outer borough candidates do.

Queens County Leader Tom Manton, Brooklyn Leader Clarence Norman and the Bronx’ Roberto Ramirez come to the table to play. These pros recognize their access to the new speaker and select committee chairs is vital to patronage and future power. And so, they toil to insure that their boroughs and their candidates do well.

Just prior to Election Day, Manton dined at Corona’s Parkside restaurant (no relationship to the political consulting firm of Stavisky, Driscoll and Gianulis) with the fourteen Democratic Council candidates — 13 won election. At each table sat a law partner of the County leader. Manton’s law partners Gerry Sweeny, Mike Reich and Frank Bols are the wheels that keep the Democratic County organization rolling. Several of the Councilmembers-in-waiting told us that they assumed the dinner was to discuss the speaker selection, committee chairs, assignments, and Queens strategy. It didn’t happen. It wasn’t mentioned.

So what has happened?

Post-Primary, Brooklyn’s Angel Rodriguez got off to an early lead. He apparently coralled nine votes in the Brooklyn delegation and Clarence Norman and Tom Manton were at the table talking of a possible coalition.

Angel is a senior member who will be gone in two years, giving the newcomers another bite at the speaker apple and therefore met the first criterion. The Queens gang – the largest voting block – felt that if it was to be a newcomer, it should come from their borough. According to several of the Queens class, Manton can be expected to deliver at least 10 of the Queens delegation’s votes.

Angel also is Hispanic and added to the rainbow that the City fathers were said to be seeking.

Tracy Boyland and Al Vann, also from Brooklyn, were not abandoning their candidacies for speaker – strike one against Angel. It also appeared that Angel had promised several Brooklyn members plum assignments in exchange for their support. If those plum assignments were not available to Manton to dole out to Team Queens, the deal would slip away – strike two. Angel was unpopular with labor — most specifically Dennis Rivera of 1199, the most powerful Hispanic politico in the City. If he doesn’t fix the labor problem, strike three!

Al Vann has been effective in making the case that his Assembly experience and leadership in the African American community should qualify him. However, Team Queens doesn’t seem ready to sign onto eight years of him. Also worth watching: Brooklyn freshman, Bill DiBlasio, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager.

Bronx Leader Roberto Ramirez doesn’t bring many votes to the table from his splintered delegation. He alienated Manton by abandoning him in an Albany coup attempt to overthrow Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, which cost Freddy Ferrer Queens County support in the mayoral runoff. It seems unlikely that Tom’s Team Queens is yet ready to deal with and trust Roberto. Manton will likely look for his coalitions elsewhere.

Former Assemblyman, briefly NYS Attorney General, Ollie Koeppel is a Bronx newcomer in search of the speaker’s seat. But without a relationship with Ramirez or even if he had one, he’s going nowhere.

The Republicans will have four members of the Council. Look for Manton to attempt to include them in his corner as he goes out to help form the new Council. Also, watch the Queens leader try to convince the small handful of Queens Council members who may stray that they are better off under his tent.

Southeast Queens black Council members-elect Allan Jennings and James Sanders won their seats over Manton’s choices and have entertained forming a dissident coalition. Hiram Monserrate, Queens’ first Latino Council member, is said to show more allegiance to the Bronx organization than Team Queens. Otherwise, Manton can expect the support of the delegation members even if they were not his choice in the election. However, to keep them in line, Manton must deliver. Perks, committee chairs, staff budgets and power can get a newcomer to break ranks with his County Leader. But Manton knows the game.

In addition to Katz, from the Queens delegation, David Weprin has his eye on the big speaker prize. However, insiders whisper that Weprin, former NYS Deputy Commish of Banking, is really focused on the Finance Committee Chair.

So, we’re able to sit here, the weekend before the election and give you all the reasons why all the candidates are not going to be speaker. But somebody is.

We’re not making predictions but do have several observations:

• The County delegation that gets the speakership won’t get the influential committee chairs — and there are several of those.

• If the speaker is a senior member, everyone gets to play again in two years.

• The 36 newcomers really could control the Council if they could get together — it only takes 26 votes.

• If Team Queens can get most of the Queens delegation and a Republican or other small block, they can put it together with Miller or Brooklyn (or even the Bronx if lightning should strike).

• Angel Rodgriguez is fading.

• A freshman still unlikely: Al Vann, Melinda Katz, Bill DiBlasio and we like Brooklyn’s Lew Fidler, too.

• Giff Miller is still a major player.

• Then, there is the dark horse with seniority — surprises do happen.

I like Mike. No, it’s not just his name.

Every once in a while, an outsider comes onto the political scene and demonstrates that politics and government are not brain surgery.

Although Rudy Giuliani served in the Justice Department, Mayor was his first run for elective office — he was a political neophyte.

Betsy Gotbaum and Bill Thompson, both old polical animals, ran for elective office for the first time.

And Mayor Mike was a virgin. He was new to government and his political manhood was untouched until he jumped into the mayoral fray.

This writer has confidence in all three of them. This writer has confidence in the new council with 36 brand new members.

We know and have interviewed the 14 new Queens councilmembers as well as the three Citywide leaders.

If these guys and gals do what they said they’ll do, our City’s future is very bright indeed.

They must avoid the pitfalls of many who have come before them. They must avoid ever believing that they are more important or better than the people they serve. They must avoid the arrogance of ego and the narcotic of power. They must avoid taking advantage of their offices. They all know it today. We humbly hope they remember it in the tomorrows to come. We shall remind them.

Above all, at this moment, we turn to Mayor Mike who impressed us with his commitment to improve our City and the drive and intellect to achieve that goal. You have run an incredible race and won a well-deserved victory. We are today, totally with you. Almost all in this great City agree. We wish you well as mayor.

Mike, and neophytes in elective office, go out and make us proud. Make politics and public service, once again, a profession that we can view with dignity and respect. Our future is in your hands.

Go get ‘em.