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From Tony Jackson at the Daily News:
Camille Johnston, the Dodgers senior vice president for communications and chief spokesperson for the past two years, said on Friday that she is leaving the organization. She will be staying through Jan. 1 to help oversee the club's first-ever float entry in Pasadena's annual Tournament of Roses parade.Johnston's departure, which is officially being termed a resignation, comes just two weeks after the club named Charles Steinberg as executive vice president for public relations and marketing. Steinberg's hiring effectively inserted an additional bureaucratic layer between Johnston and Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt that hadn't existed when Johnston joined the organization in October 2005.
"I thought about it for a while, and I think this is best for me, for the Dodgers and for the new person who is coming in," Johnston said. "They hired new executives, and I think it is good for them to have a clean slate and be able to assemble their own team. ... This was my decision after long discussions with the McCourts."
The Dodgers also hired Dennis Mannion as chief operating officer on Nov. 7.
Despite Johnston's claim that she is resigning, multiple sources within the organization confirmed that she is being forced out. It became apparent when Steinberg was hired on Nov. 27 that Johnston's job might be in jeopardy. This despite the calming effect she had on the organization almost from the moment she arrived in the midst of a particularly stormy period in the club's history.
Jacskon notes she is the fourth communications chief to leave since the McCourts bought the Dodgers. Steinberg, meanwhile, had been with the Red Sox and other teams previously, including the Padres. He also had been the statistician to then-Orioles manager Earl Weaver, before going to dental school. From the Boston Globe:
Steinberg, who served the Orioles as team dentist in addition to his front-office duties, leaves an impressive legacy in Boston, where he oversaw the team's public and community, electronic and live entertainment, television and video production, and advertising and customer service. He created the Fenway Ambassadors program, was the guiding force behind the team's grandest ceremonies, like the World Series rings presentation in 2005 and the Tribute to Ted Williams, and was the innovator behind such popular occasions as the Father's Day catch at Fenway. He also created the Red Sox scholars program and other notable social outreach programs. Steinberg did some consulting work this past year for the Dodgers, who were celebrating the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color line, and in 2008 the Dodgers will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of their move to Los Angeles.
Also, from Boston Metro:
Steinberg’s departure is a bit curious on a couple of fronts....There were rumors that Steinberg fed [journalist] Dan Shaughnessy the details of the Theo Epstein/Lucchino feud when Epstein [the Red Sox' general manager] ended up leaving the Sox for a short period of time prior to the 2006 season. Epstein was said to be furious that the details were leaked, and it should be safe to conclude that things were uneasy in the front office when Epstein did return. The fact that Epstein now has two World Series titles under his belt during his reign as GM should also give him increased juice in the front office. That could be a factor in Steinberg’s departure.
Dodgers press release on Steinberg's hiring.