Capitol Office Scramble in Albany

ALBANY—Begin the office jockeying.

For all the talk of equitable treatment, Republicans and Democrats expect a major shake-up in the size and location of offices for various state senators and their staffers.

These decisions are made by the secretary of the Senate -- now Angelo Aponte, a Staten Islander who was Malcolm Smith's chief of staff and co-chair of his transition team -- and are should be sorted out in the next few weeks. One Republican said the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, just before the presidential inauguration, would a strategic time for moves.

New members are moving into "temporary offices." I found State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. sizing up his new digs before the State of the State address yesterday. He's in 420 Capitol, formerly held by Efrain Gonzalez, offering views of the Empire State Plaza and a direct door to the chamber Gallery. State Senator Brian Foley snagged 413 Capitol, a larger suite formerly occupied by Serphin Maltese.

Republicans are packing their boxes and cleaning out offices in anticipation of the moves. Some have been at it for a while.