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Rosenberg Relocates To Basement Office While Awaiting Investigation

Former Senate President Stanley Rosenberg's temporary basement office gets some sunlight from a window-well near the Hooker Entrance. (Sam Doran/SHNS)
Former Senate President Stanley Rosenberg's temporary basement office gets some sunlight from a window-well near the Hooker Entrance. (Sam Doran/SHNS)

Sen. Stan Rosenberg begins the new year in an East Wing basement office after his December decision to step down from the Senate presidency – a move he has hoped will be temporary.

The unmarked door to the Amherst Democrat's State House office should soon have a sign identifying it as Rosenberg's, according to a staffer. It is just steps away from the gallery to the Gardner Auditorium, where the Senate has been meeting amid renovations to the historic chamber. It is also located at least a floor below the rest of his colleagues in a part of the building with a distinct subterranean feel.

The office, which has a window looking out on a wall, is swing space that has been used by other senators in the past, and Rosenberg's staff has been there since shortly after he stepped aside, they said. Rosenberg previously occupied the ornate two-floored Senate president's office across the hall from the historic Senate chamber.

Worcester Democrat Harriette Chandler took over as acting president last month after the Boston Globe reported on allegations that Rosenberg's husband Bryon Hefner had sexually assaulted men on Beacon Hill while claiming to have a say in Senate business.

"I have repeatedly made clear that Bryon was to have no influence on what happens in the Senate. He has no influence over policy, the internal operations of the Senate, or any Senate related business," Rosenberg said on Dec. 1.

The Senate is meeting in a formal session Wednesday, when the body will ceremonially swear-in Sen. Dean Tran, a Fitchburg Republican who won a December special election. Rosenberg will not attend Wednesday's session but will attend future formal sessions, according to a spokeswoman.

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