Perhaps Representative Anthony D. Weiner should hang a permanent “Help Wanted” sign outside his office.
For the third time in the past 16 months, Mr. Weiner, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, is going to have a new chief of staff. The current one, Geoffrey C. Plague, a well-respected Capitol Hill veteran who started in December, is leaving to take a job in the education field.
Mr. Plague’s departure is the latest example of the high turnover in Mr. Weiner’s staff. In the last six years, Mr. Weiner, who is running for mayor in 2009, has had more turnover than any other member of the New York delegation to the House of Representatives, according to an analysis of Congressional data. About half of the members of his current staff have been on his payroll for less than a year.
By his own account, Mr. Weiner is an intense and demanding employer, with a propensity to raise his voice or pound on furniture when he wants to make a point. It is a hard-charging style, honed in Brooklyn, which appeals to some — but not all — in Washington, Mr. Weiner said in an interview last month.
But it is also a style that some former employees have suggested could be problematic should he be elected to City Hall, especially if there is a constant churning of the staff in his administration.
For a member of Congress, the chief of staff position is, in general, the highest-ranking and most stable; the position is usually occupied by political veterans who have survived all sorts of crises and personalities. Most chiefs of staff work for one member of Congress for at least four years, and it is not unheard of for some to stick with that member for more than a decade.
But according to several high-ranking Congressional aides, Mr. Plague, a mild-mannered Midwesterner whose résumé includes staff positions with Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Representative Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey, did not mesh well with Mr. Weiner’s combustible style.
When asked about Mr. Plague, Mr. Weiner’s office offered two statements: one from Marie Ternes, a Congressional aide who will succeed Mr. Plague, and one from Mr. Plague.
“I’m excited to continue the high standard of service expected by Congressman Weiner,” Ms. Ternes said. “As a native New Yorker and three-year veteran of his staff, I plan to work hard on behalf of the residents of Brooklyn and Queens.”
Mr. Plague, meanwhile, stated: “I’ve enjoyed my experience working for Anthony Weiner and I look forward to being a continuing part of the Representative Weiner extended family.”
Mr. Plague did last longer than his predecessor as chief of staff, Katherine Sarlin. She had worked for Iris Weinshall, a former New York City transportation commissioner (and wife of Mr. Weiner’s political mentor, Senator Charles E. Schumer), before working for Mr. Weiner from May to August 2007, according to Congressional data.
