by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Moving stinks and everyone knows it. Packing is bad enough but unpacking can be the real nightmare.
But, every year about this time, several members of City Council and their assistants get displaced and have to move. Depending on the whim of the newly-elected Council president, moving day can resemble a Chinese fire drill or an orderly relocation process.
This year, a happy medium between those two was reached. Council president Jerry Holland and vice president Lad Daniels highlighted the moves, but several other Council members also had to pack up. In fact, this year nine Council members out of 19 had to relocate, as did their executive assistants.
To help expedite the process, the Council’s support staff opted to use a moving company rather that several trustees — inmates whose behavior allows them to work outside the jail and around the public. Kristi Sikes, the chief of administrative services, said the moving company will cost about $3,000 but will come out of a special Council fund and not out of taxpayers pockets. The difference, she said, is that the moving company will both pack and unpack offices.
Physically moving shelves, chairs and mountains of paperwork is, logistically, the easy part. The real trick is to make sure that the phone numbers, computer systems and e-mail addresses of each Council member and their assistant follow them to their new office. While many will have a hand in moving boxes, the City’s Information Technology Division will handle the computers and phones. And, according to Steve Cassada of IT, the job isn’t very complicated.
“It’s really not that hard,” said Cassada, who has been with the City for six years and is going through his third Council office move. “It seems to go smoothly every year.”
The Council members may change offices but their phone numbers and e-mail addresses stay the same. According to Cassada, the key to making sure former Council president Matt Carlucci doesn’t get someone else’s number when he moves is preparation and patience.
“The staff is very well prepared,” said Cassada.
The phone lines are the first thing addressed since assuring that constituents can reach their respective Council members is paramount. According to Council secretary/director Cheryl Brown, there is very little to no down time in the phone system. If, per chance, a Council member’s phone isn’t ringing through, the call is routed to the Council switchboard and the Council member or assistant is informed via intercom that they have a call.
Brown also agreed with Cassada that a well thought-out plan makes the transition easier.
“It seems relatively simple to me,” said Brown who has been with the City for 14 years. “We have it down pat. We have a method and a sequence that we put into action. The president is the first to move and there’s a natural sequence after that. Usually the vice president is next, but if the office isn’t ready we go to the next person.”
There are two other elements adding to the hoopla this week.
One, it’s standing committee week and most committees have new makeups and chairs.
Two, the Fourth of July falls on Thursday and City Hall will be open for business on Friday. That leaves the first three days this week for everyone to get moved, settled and unpacked to the extent they can locate pertinent files which can sometimes get misplaced during the move.
Brown said everything will be in order by the end of the day Wednesday and any damage done to the offices during the past year and moving around will be repaired.
“Usually, this takes a couple of days,” said Brown. “Everything will be back up on the walls and the painting will be done by Wednesday.”
Former Council vice president Suzanne Jenkins said there was a little upside to moving day. Not only does the she get to wear jeans to work for a change, it’s also opportunity to load up several recycling bins with tons of outdated and useless files.
Monday’s moving was not without its casualties: Katrina Fisher, the aide to Council member Pat Lockett-Felder, fell off a chair and hurt her left shoulder.