But the third major mayoral candidate, Anthony Weiner, is in no rush.

When asked if Weiner's campaign hired a campaign manager, spokesman John Collins, emailed,  “No.”

“Anthony Weiner is fighting in DC for middle class New Yorkers and a sound recovery plan, not politics. There will be plenty of time for campaigning," he wrote.

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:

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.

Vlasto, father of Chuck Schumer’s press secretary Josh Vlasto, has worked in government for more than 40 years. (Some of his accomplishments pre-date Google News, but here's a relatively recent piece from his days at spokesman for Schools Chancellor Joseph Fernandez.)

Vlasto’s departure comes after Gotbaum effectively took herself off the list of potential 2009 comptroller or mayoral candidates and after the abrupt departure of her press secretary, John Collins.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Vlasto, who said he is retiring. Sort of. "You'll see me pop up to assist those with something to say," he told me, "to help get their viewpoint on the blogs and newspapers."

Looking back over his 51-year-career, and the change in the business, Vlasto said, "I used to represent four or five Congress members at one time. Space was allotted to them. Not everyday, but every couple of days there would be an item: 'Congressman so-and-so said this. Congressman so-and-so said that.' Those days are gone. So, it's harder for them and much harder for the Council members, or Assembly members or State Senate members, except for the Speaker, to gain attention."

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).

Here's the email Murphy sent to friends:

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.

In a recent interview, Gotbaum told the City Hall News, “At this point in my life, it’s just hard for me to raise money for myself, for personal reasons, for a political campaign.” (In the latest campaign finance filing, Gotbaum raised $163,915, but spent $105,852).

Tension between Collins and Gotbaum was evident during that same interview. She is explaining that she was right to call for the removal of a subcontractor working for the Department of Education, but hadn’t rushed to grab credit for it, when this exchange takes place:

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.

-- Azi Paybarah