John Collins

Anthony Weiner said in a recent interview that the public hasn't noticed Michael Bloomberg's failure to push the city's agenda in Albany because the mayor has "had a lapdog press corps."

The Congressman, of course, may have to deal with that press corps if he runs for mayor next year.

When I asked Weiner spokesman John Collins about the "lapdog" comment, he emailed:

"We won't be a press critic. The mayor's operation does a good job on all fronts and I think Anthony will stay out of the press evaluation business."

 

Another top aide is leaving Betsy Gotbaum’s office.

Gotbaum’s communication director, James Vlasto is leaving effective March 20, according to an email he sent to friends today.

“Now is the time to move on. I intend to stay active as a consultant to help those involved in public policy and to assist them in making their views known through the press,” he wrote.  read more »

Adolfo Carrion's communications director, Mike Murphy, is leaving for a job with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

While it's a loss for Carrion, it's something of a win that Murphy wasn't hired by another city comptroller candidate.

That's more or less what happened with John Collins, who was hired by Anthony Weiner, a likely mayoral candidate.

Collins had recently worked for two possible mayoral candidates before going to Weiner: Christine Quinn and Betsy Gotbaum (who had been considered a longshot candidate until this interview put that notion to rest).

Murphy's email after the jump.  read more »

Months after joining her staff as press secretary, John Collins has abruptly departed from Betsy Gotbuam’s office only days after she said in an interview that she won't run for citywide office in 2009 (unless, of course, she inadvertanly winds up mayor if a certain mayor runs for President).

The two have always had different styles. Collins is a young campaign junkie and Gotbaum tends towards a more traditional, less flashy approach.

After receiving an automated response from Collins' legislative email account saying he is “no longer employed by this office,” I reached him by cell phone. He declined to discuss the matter publicly, other than to say that he left for personal reasons. He spoke positively of his former boss.

More after the jump.   read more »

Expect to start seeing more of Betsy Gotbaum starting Monday when John Collins joins her staff as a press secretary. Collins toiled away for a year in Christine Quinn's press office and, as you can see here, enjoys chatting with reporters.

This is the second time Gotbaum has snapped up an operative associated with a potential 2009 rivals. She previously hired Mark Benoit, who ran Anthony Weiner's campaign in 2005.