Capitol in midst of lengthy moving day

Associated Press/Kelley McCall

A work crew member carried a box into a suite of offices Thursday in Jefferson City, Mo. With one of the largest legislative turnovers in recent memory, nearly all of the 164 House members and more than half of the 34 senate offices are being moved.By Paul Sloca ~ The Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Moving day for a single household can be stressful enough. Now consider what it is like to move 184 offices -- all in a matter of weeks.

That's the scene at the Missouri Capitol, where desks, carpets, computers, boxes and file cabinets line the hallways as tired staff members try to get old lawmakers moved out, incumbents reshuffled and new lawmakers situated.

With one of the largest legislative turnovers ever, 162 House offices and 22 Senate offices are being moved in a massive exercise that involves everything from desk chairs to door signs.

The moving costs are mounting into the tens of thousands of dollars.

This year's transition is more complex than in past years because of the large number of new lawmakers and the Republican takeover in the House.

There are 90 new House members and 12 new senators who will be sworn in Jan. 8. The change of party control in the House means that Republicans are moving into the better offices and Democrats are being sent to the lower-grade spots.

Democratic Rep. Chuck Graham of Columbia, who uses a wheelchair and has an office near the House door, is the only House member not switching offices.

Capitol hallways are filled with activity, from workers moving furniture to new employees receiving orientation tours.

In the House, three full-time staff and six part-workers had about 100 offices moved by the end of Friday while a crew of up to four expected to have 11 of the Senate moves completed.

Most furniture stays

Under new rules in the House and Senate, most furniture is to remain in its present legislative office, although there are files and other personal items that must be moved. Lawmakers who are staying can keep things like computers and chairs when they move. Those leaving for good also have the option of purchasing some equipment.

Senate officials estimate the moves will cost less than $50,000. The House expects to spend less than $20,000, but that doesn't include money spent from each lawmaker's state-funded office account.

"It's organized chaos, and some days it's like herding cats. The hardest part of this is trying to accommodate everybody's needs," said Keith Sappington, director of House operations. "They want certain things. We want to make sure they have the things they need for their office to operate efficiently."

Rob Nilges, a House worker who is literally doing some heavy lifting, said his crew averages 10 offices a day since moving began around Thanksgiving.

"A lot of my guys are really sore. Some nights I get really tired. The sooner we get done the better off I am," Nilges said.

House Clerk Ted Wedel, a Capitol veteran of previous transitions, said one of the toughest challenges is to juggle the moves along with session preparations.

"It is a major, major task and it comes at a time when staff is relatively busy with other things," Wedel said.

'Not as bad as they were'

In the 34-member Senate, the new rules preventing the wholesale movement of furniture have been a blessing for workers such as Bill Carver, the operations supervisor.

"It's hard work, those boxes and things are heavy, but the moves are not as bad as they were before," Carver said.

Michael Keathley, hired as the Senate administrator a year ago, began planning in June for this year's office transition.

"This is not like moving your own house," Keathley said. "This is like moving 20 other people's houses around."

Some lawmakers are not willing to move as quickly as others. And some outgoing lawmakers have set up temporary offices in hearing rooms, so they can carry out their duties until newly elected lawmakers take over.

For example, Sen. Morris Westfall is sharing a committee room with seven other senators and their staff from both political parties.

Westfall, who served in the House from 1972 to 1980 and was elected to the Senate in 1994, said it's been a tough transition for him.

"It's not moving as smoothly as we want it to, but you have to recognize that there has to be a transition period and this maybe helps humble us a little more," said the Republican from Halfway. "I got two calls this week from constituents with problems. Those are the type of things you have to work on."