When The Legislative Mudslinging’s Over, Wyoming’s Capitol Custodians Clean Up

CHEYENNE — Amid all the excitement and fast-paced action at the Wyoming Capitol during the legislative session, some workers there often blend into the backdrop without much recognition.

These are the custodians who keep the halls of the Capitol scrubbed and sparkling, toiling through each day to ensure the building always stays immaculately clean.

“These people work hard, flat out hard,” said Jaye Wacker, public information officer for the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information.

At least a few custodians must stick around each night until the Legislature adjourns. What that means is if there’s a committee meeting that goes past midnight, someone must stick around to clean and vacuum the committee room after the meeting completes, an exact scenario that took place during this year’s legislative session.

One lawmaker who does notice their work is state Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, the longest serving member of the House. Harshman personally knows a handful of the custodians, one of which has been working at the Capitol since he started in 2003. He regularly tells of his favorite custodians when he sees her, “thanks for cleaning up after a bunch of grimy politicians.”

“The biggest thing with all of them is they care so much,” Harshman said. “The whole attitude they do it with, they do it with enthusiasm and love. It’s contagious to everybody.”

Benjamin Allen, a custodian at the Capitol and Wyoming native, said cleaning the building is just like anything in life, it requires energy and effort. It’s a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.

“I’ve got ride for the brand inked into my brain,” he said.

How It Works

During the Legislature, a five-member day crew and eight-member night crew clean all of the Capitol’s spaces, including break rooms, hallways, common areas and the legislative chambers.

The first custodial shift at the Capitol Complex, which includes the nearby Herschler Building, starts at 6 a.m. No matter the hour, the custodians flood the chambers and meeting rooms like clockwork as soon as they’re given the green light, dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning offices at the Capitol before the first wave of state employees get in. The workers on this shift typically work until 6 p.m.

After that, a second night crew comes in at 6:30 p.m. and finishes off the day. A third night crew joins them at 9:30 p.m.

“They go until the legislators are out and we can get into the chambers and clean,” Kristi Davidson, custodial manager for the Capitol, said. “They hope to be done by 1 a.m.”

Davidson said, if necessary, they will stay later. No matter what, they clean until they're done.

“Having that 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. (shift) is a long custodial commitment, it’s more than a day,” she said.

Their work also includes setting up tables and chairs in breakfast and lunch meeting rooms for as many as 150 people.

“It all depends on what that caterer wants or what they’ve been told on what they’re serving for the day,” Jacob McLaury, a buildings and grounds supervisor said. 

It also takes a significant amount of coordination as legislators often bounce between their chambers and committee rooms throughout the day.

“It’s constant, they’re constantly on the go,” Operations Manager Tommy Ojeda, who also helps with custodial work, said.

They also prepare each one of the committee meeting rooms for the day’s meetings and stock up the toiletries and everything inside the bathrooms in addition to cleaning them. During the legislative session, far more people come to the Capitol than outside of the session, leading the state to have to purchase three times as many janitorial supplies as the rest of the year.

After the Capitol restoration and extension projects were completed, Harshman said about two times more toilets were added, yet staffing numbers were not increased.

“They’re doing more with the same number of people that are serving everybody,” he said.

Allen reported clocking 25,000-30,000 steps and 12-13 miles during his shifts in the legislative session. His favorite part of the job is getting to see discussions and decisions made that will impact the future of his state.

“It’s just being around the people and the processes of this building that give me a lot of pride and joy,” he said. “It’s really fascinating to hear all the discussions go on.”

Challenges Remain

Wacker pointed out that the Legislature and governor improved custodial pay in 2023 and 2024, which has significantly helped address the rampant employee turnover they were dealing with in the past.

Still, the nature of the job and less than exorbitant pay remain a challenge when considering the difficult nature of the work, he said. Starting custodial wage at the Capitol these days is $15.50.

“It’s still a challenge with turnover because it’s hard to get people who want to work this hard,” Wacker said. “It’s kind of almost a commitment in terms of service aspect.”

But Davidson said the janitors who do work there take a great deal of pride in their work because of the vast number of people it benefits. Ojeda agreed and said he’s exceptionally proud of the work his staff does. 

“It’s challenging in the fact that what we pay our custodians is not nearly enough,” he said, adding that many of his staff work second jobs.

As a way to overcome this, Ojeda said he tries to provide his staff with extra shifts if they want them to help boost their paycheck, paid out through bonuses or overtime.

Harshman considers the work the custodians do to be the pinnacle of leadership.

“They’re the first line of service, the first tenet of leadership is serving others,” he said.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.