By Max Pizarro | June 9th, 2014

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-10) this evening announced his support for a Unity Leadership Team for the South Ward Democratic Committee, which didn't end up materializing by the end of tonight's meeting, as Mayor-elect Ras Baraka dominated off his May citywide victory.

Payne was long a backer of Lee Fisher, whose party leadership tenure ended tonight.

"Today, I am pleased to join with Mayor-elect Ras Baraka in supporting the Unity Leadership Team for the South Ward Democratic Committee," Payne said in a statement prior to the vote.

The team as envisioned by Payne consisted of Patrick Council for chairman; Donyea Hoffman, 1st vice chair; and Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-29), 2nd vice-chair.

By evening's end, only Council made the cut.

His emergence onto the political scene has an interesting political back story.

Backers of Mayor-elect Baraka had originally positioned Council - a popular youth sports coach - for a South Ward council candidacy.

But At-Large Councilman John Sharpe James bumped him on the strength of name ID.

Council lost his at-large bid and now returns as the South Ward Democratic leader - one sources speculates - as repayment for his willingness to change direction from his initial intent to run for the South Ward council seat.

Updated: Ernest Turner and Eveline Williams - Baraka backers - beat Hoffman and Spencer for the second and third seats tonight, in what one source at the meeting described as a Baraka coup.