Newly elected representatives went through the tradition Wednesday of drawing lots for their new office spaces. Scripps Howard Foundation Wire followed three new members: Ted Lieu,D-Calif.,Barbara Comstock,R-Va.,and Ken Buck,R-Colo.
WASHINGTON – From sunny California to wintry D.C.,Rep.-elect Ted Lieu,D-Calif.,donned his winter coat and scarf to attend Wednesday’s lottery for office space for new members of Congress.
Lieu succeeds Rep. Henry Waxman,D-Calif.,after winning the seat in the midterm elections. Waxman represented the 33rd Congressional District for 40 years.
Lieu wandered the halls with Andrew Lachman,transition aide for the lottery,trying to find an ideal room,but within reason.
He drew 27 in the lottery,and being in the middle meant that the better,spacious rooms in the Longworth House Office Building would most likely be taken first.
Lieu and Lachman went to their second-best options in the Cannon House Office Building,eyeing the rooms on the fourth and fifth floors.
These rooms had cages across the hall for storage space or side meetings.
“The additional space across the office seems helpful,” Lieu said.
Lieu soon took a keen interest in the fourth floor rooms after seeing the balcony and high ceilings.
“I have a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old,so I want to bring them up here,especially in the summer,” he said.
Lieu’s office in Los Angeles is bigger than the offices he saw at Longworth and Cannon,but ultimately,he wanted to find a space that would benefit his staff.
“These buildings,there’s more history here,” he said.
By 2 p.m.,members were asked to retreat to the Rayburn House Office Building to make their decisions. Despite the distance from most committee offices,Lieu chose Suite 415 in the Canon building,previously the office of Sen.-elect Tom Cotton,R-Ark. It has a view of the Capitol and high ceilings,both of which Lieu favored.
Lieu now faces the challenge of finding a permanent address in D.C. He’s staying a hotel and wants to find a small apartment.
Reach reporter Lorain Watters at lorain.watters@scripps.com or 202-408-1494. SHFWire stories are free to any news organization that gives the reporter a byline and credits the SHFWire. Like the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire interns on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Andrew Lachman 