STATE REP. John Perzel of Philadelphia likes his office -- not just the spacious first-floor suite in the Capitol where he conducts much of his business, but the political office that entitles him to that prime location -- the speaker of the House of Representatives. Unfortunately for Republican Perzel and his love of his position and work space, all of that goes with the territory and the territory changed in the Nov. 7 election, when the Democrats seized control of the House, or so we all thought. Mr. Perzel thinks differently. Despite a closely contested race in Chester County, decided for the Democrats by a mere 28 votes to give the party a 102-101 edge over the Republicans in the House, Mr. Perzel has refused to move out of his office. He is apparently hoping that he can make a turncoat of some Democrat or persuade a couple of them to stay home Tuesday, when the votes will be counted. It is a seedy spectacle. The public called the tune in the election and here's Mr. Perzel trying to hold on to the furniture in a feverish game of musical chairs.

THE TRADITIONAL smoke-filled rooms of political fable got their name because they were places where more than power was inhaled -- and old habits die hard, at least if the City-County Building here in Pittsburgh is any indication. On Tuesday, a county ordinance will go into effect banning smoking in public buildings and workplaces (it should have included bars and restaurants, but Common Pleas Judge Michael A. Della Vecchia wimped out by giving those establishments a 120-day tobacco-breathing space). So are local officials ready to embrace the new ordinance like a breath of fresh air? Hardly. As Post-Gazette reporters Rich Lord and Ann Belser discovered, the City-County Building, which has long been officially smoke-free, is a place where smoking bans are subjects of nods and winks and where the happy band of surreptitious smokers also includes some in top offices. Allegheny County police have no plans to enforce the ban on Grant Street, and so diehard smokers will continue to grasp their cigarettes like John Perzel hanging on to his chair.

HOLD THE CIGARS for the inauguration of Gov. Ed Rendell on Jan. 16. Mr. Rendell easily won re-election against Republican Lynn Swann in November and the public mood isn't exactly bubbling over like champagne as the year turns. Instead of a big parade with marching bands, as occurred first time around, the second inauguration will feature an arts theme after Mr. Rendell and Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll take their oaths of office. Local museums and other venues around the Capitol will be hosting performing arts groups and visual arts shows. In the evening, a gala concert and ball will be held at the Farm Show complex outside Harrisburg. Private funds, not tax dollars, will pay for the events. Now that is something to celebrate with enthusiasm.