Former Neighbor Moving Up in the World

I live at 3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC.  I live in apartment 136.  Until a few years ago, I had a neighbor down the hall, in apartment 138, named Jeffrey Lieberson.  He was a spokesman for Congressman Steve Rothman from New Jersey.  I recently read that Jeff Lieberson was named chief of staff for Congressman Maurice Hinchey.

Jeff Lieberson graduated from New York University in about the year 2000.  He had a mezuzah on his door.  He was a big baseball fan.  Admirable. 

Jeff Lieberson was not a soccer fan, to the best of my knowledge -- either literally or metaphorically.

He recently married the daughter of Wisconsin Senator Russell Feingold.  The kid is connected.  You think it's possible my friends didn't contact Jeff Lieberson? Not bloody likely.  By the way, Jeff Lieberson and I weren't acquainted, but he used to say hello when he saw me.  But then, we were neighbors.

Hinchey names new chief of staff

Published: Tuesday, January 12, 2010

By WILLIAM J. KEMBLE

Correspondent

KINGSTON — U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey on Monday announced that long-time spokesman Jeff Lieberson would assume duties as the congressman’s chief of staff following the departure of Dan Ahouse.

The position was discussed during a press conference in Hinchey’s office on Fair Street, where the nine-term Democrat from Hurley said he admired the balance Ahouse showed between family and travel.

“Of the three (chiefs of staff) I’ve had the first two were located in Washington,” Hinchey said. “After the second one left ... it was clear to me that the best person to do this would be Dan, but he was up here. That meant he was going to have to move back and forth between here and D.C.”

Ahouse was not immediately available Monday for comment.

Ahouse began working for Hinchey in 1995 as an intern and designated as chief of staff in 2007. Hinchey noted that he expects there to be contact between his office and Ahouse, who will be a vice president for government affairs for Bethpage-based cable provider Cablevision.

Lieberson on Monday said a formal announcement of staff changes in the office would be issued later in the week.

Hinchey said local contacts for the district office would be through representative Lori DuBord.

“She is going to overseeing the way we operate The Solar Energy Consortium,” he said. “That’s going to be a major part of her responsibility. That’s something that’s very important. That’s something that’s having some very positive effects.”