With top lawmakers gone, silence fills these halls

The State House had little foot traffic yesterday. The state's top politicians are in Denver for the convention. (Justine Hunt/Globe Staff)

How dead was it at the State House? So dead the House couldn't find a quorum. So dead the 40-member Senate managed to attract only three of its members. And so dead that the only sound, much of yesterday, was of trash barrels being pushed by the maintenance crew.

At a time when nearly all of the state's top politicians are in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, business on Beacon Hill this week is crawling even more slowly than usual for this time of year.

The highest level dignitary on Beacon Hill yesterday was Lebanon's tourist minister, Elie Marouni, who visited nearly-empty House and Senate chambers and tried to gin up some good will for the Middle Eastern country. Beirut for the holidays, anyone?

"I like to see legislation move along," said a restless Representative Martin J. Walsh, a Democrat from Dorchester who attended yesterday's 33-minute House session and is planning to leave for Denver today. "I kind of wish I went out [yesterday]. I wanted to see Ted Kennedy."

The lights were dim in the House chambers, and the business of the day was so nonpressing that Representative Jeffrey Sanchez had a stuffed animal on his desk, and his daughter sitting next to him. After a dozen members deliberated for several minutes, one member rose to question whether there was a quorum. There wasn't, so business for the day halted.

The office of Senate President Therese Murray, who is in Denver, is open to the public. A photo of Murray with Senator Hillary Clinton sits atop her desk, signed "Terry, Best Wishes. Hillary."

So many of the state's leaders are away, in fact, that for part of the week State Treasurer Timothy Cahill will be the only constitutional officer left in Massachusetts and will take over the powers of governor. If he leaves the state, the state Constitution leaves it unclear who would be in charge.

MATT VISER