Simms Staffers Jumping Ship Amid Financial Uncertainty

S tuart O. Simms , a Democratic candidate for attorney general in Maryland, had several staff members leave his campaign last week amid concerns about its financial position.

Simms acknowledged yesterday that he will not have as much spending money as his rivals -- a situation he attributes partly to a recent decision not to transfer a large sum of leftover funds from the now-defunct gubernatorial campaign of Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D).

Simms had been on the ticket as Duncan's running mate but moved to the attorney general's race after Duncan dropped out last month. At the time, aides to the ticket talked about giving Simms as much as $700,000 from Duncan's account, though it was not clear that such a transfer would be allowed under campaign law.

Under normal circumstances, candidates are restricted to giving $6,000 to another campaign.

"My goal here is not to exploit any loopholes," Simms said yesterday as he attended a Democratic Party rally.

The repercussions of that decision -- as well as spending decisions -- were starting to show last week.

Antwaun Griffin , who had been Simms's campaign manager, said Friday that he was no longer in that job and that the campaign was going through "a sort of restructuring" that would require "some tough choices with regard to resources."

Griffin said he was likely to stay on as an adviser to Simms. He said he was not certain whether other staffers might be leaving or playing different roles.

Jody Couser , who had been Simms' press secretary, no longer is involved in the campaign. "Your call is best directed directly to Mr. Simms," Couser said when asked where to go with media inquiries.

A call placed to Simms's campaign headquarters in Baltimore was fielded by Marsha Koger , an aide to Simms, who acknowledged that "the campaign is in the middle of a transition."

Griffin and Couser had been senior aides to Duncan and joined Simms after Duncan dropped out.

Other sources familiar with Simms's staffing said several other aides were leaving because of concerns that Simms would not be able to continue paying them. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they have not been directly involved in the campaign, also said some staff members were taken aback at how much the campaign had spent in recent weeks on yard and rally signs.