Senator-elect Dan Laughlin today (December 28) announced that — through renegotiations of the terms of the lease — he was able to create a 31 percent reduction in the monthly rent for the district office vacated by former Senator Sean Wiley, which represents a savings to taxpayers of $15,500 a year for the same location.
Senator-elect Laughlin and the state are currently finalizing the set-up of his district office at 1314 Griswold Plaza with plans to re-open it for constituent services in the near future.
With the renegotiated lease, the state will also save the costs associated with establishing a new location for constituents. Senator-elect Laughlin had strongly criticized the extravagant cost of Senator Wiley’s lease during his campaign for state senate.
Senator-elect Laughlin found during his search for a district office that early termination of the lease for the Griswold Plaza office would have incurred a $12,285 cancellation penalty for the state. Additionally, the state would have essentially forfeited about $40,000 that was spent on renovations to the office during Senator Wiley’s term.
“Faced with this wasteful option, we renegotiated the lease to scale back the size of the office to a more appropriate and efficient space, which will save taxpayers more than $60,000 over a four-year period in rent expenses,” Senator-elect Laughlin said. “There was absolutely no way that I would have ever considered taking over this location under the previous terms. This renegotiated lease is much more practical and fiscally responsible.
“The state spent a substantial amount of money renovating this office during Senator Wiley’s term,” Senator-elect Laughlin added. “We will realize significant savings by not having to incur any additional expenses to set up shop in a new location.”
For the most part, the other office locations that Senator-elect Laughlin considered would have required at least internal structural changes and IT wiring installation. In addition to sparing those costs, taxpayer dollars will be saved by eliminating moving costs.
“The final decision was not easy, but it came down to dollars and common sense,” Senator-elect Laughlin said. “People are familiar with this location. It is convenient for constituents. It is turn-key ready, which allows us to get right down to doing the job of serving our constituents. And, most importantly, we are saving taxpayer money.”
Contact: Matt Azeles mazeles@pasen.gov