From a Congressman refusing to pay his cab fare to a certain staffer misusing a listserv, 2010 was a good year for gossip. As the year winds down, HOH will count down our top 10 items of the year. We’ve sifted through dozens of columns and found the most salacious, titillating and hilarious gossip of the year.

In our No. 5 spot is a series of items in which a House staffer misuses the Democratic press secretaries’ listserv, much to the chagrin of his colleagues.

“House Aide E-Mailing It In” From Oct. 12

Congressional aides often send e-mails to colleagues in other offices to share information on policy matters.

But occasionally, staffers need help with a different sort of issue.

Case in point: Paul Kincaid, press secretary to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), sent a message to Democratic House press secretaries on Friday seeking help finding University of Michigan gear for an office colleague

Kincaid’s fellow staffer was “curious as to a potential store in this area” to find the Michigan merchandise, Kincaid writes.

And while Kincaid appeared to be doing his colleague a fashion favor, don’t expect him to root for the Wolverines any time soon.

Kincaid titles the e-mail “as much as it pains me to ask this …” and concludes it with a line pledging allegiance to the University of Florida.

“Having said that, Go Gators,” Kincaid writes.

“The Spamming Staffer” From Nov. 22

Looks like Paul Kincaid is at it again. Kincaid, a flack for Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), is again being accused of misusing the Democratic press secretaries’ listserv.

A Democratic aide with access to the e-mail list tells HOH that Kincaid has been annoying his colleagues for six months by filling their inboxes with “crazy liberal commentary” and “convoluted messaging ideas.”

“Some staffers have even gone so far as to set up a filter to redirect his e-mails to their spam folders,” the aide says. “Those of us who aren’t so Outlook-savvy just use them for comic relief. Send it to the Progressive Caucus list, Paul.”

Traditionally, the mailing list is used as a resource for press secretaries to share information or get contact information for reporters, not as a forum for personal political views. Kincaid declined to comment for this story.

This isn’t the first time Kincaid has irritated colleagues via e-mail: In October, he e-mailed the listserv asking for suggestions about where a colleague could buy University of Michigan gear.